The keyhole motif emerges from an encounter between two distinct traditions: the hand-painted ceramic decoration witnessed at Mexico City's Museum of Anthropology and the architectural vocabulary of Carlo Scarpa. This early lamp represents an attempt to synthesize these influences within the rectangular ceramic framework.
 
Each keyhole opening is cut with deliberate precision—the circular head flowing into a linear slot below, creating a form that reads as both functional hardware and abstract composition. The hand-painted iron oxide decoration fills selected circular keyhole shapes while leaving others as pure voids, establishing a rhythm between painted surface and carved absence.
 
Scarpa's influence appears in the keyhole's architectural character—the way this simple motif can suggest both intimate scale and monumental presence. The Venetian architect's fascination with details that bridge different materials and scales finds expression here in ceramic form, where each keyhole becomes a small architectural event.
 
The painted decoration connects directly to pre-Columbian ceramic traditions, where iron oxide created permanent marks that became part of the clay body itself. The flowing, organic patterns within the keyhole forms suggest natural forces while maintaining the geometric discipline of the overall composition.
 
When illuminated, the keyholes create focused beams of light that transform the surrounding space into a field of projected forms, turning the lamp into both object and light-drawing device.
 
Prototype Base dims: 11.5" high by 5" wide by 3" deep
 
Production Model Base dims: 11.5" high by 5" wide by 5" deep
Height to top of socket: 14.5”
 
Hand-painted & unglazed stoneware.
Table Lamp with hand-crafted and hand-painted ceramic base, USA.
Shade is not included.
 
Socket for E26 bulb in top half and wifi-controlled G9 bulb (G9 Smart Light Bulb, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, Color Changing Smart Led Bulbs, Dimmable and Tunable) in the lower half.