Original Eros Dining Table in Grey-Brown Marble by Angelo Mangiarotti, 1970s

Angelo Mangiarotti
Eros table

Total height 72 cm
Diameter plate 119 cm

Diameter of base at top 10 cm
Diameter of base at bottom 23.5 cm

Height base 69 cm


Frankfurt am Main 1938 - 1996 Basel
Born in Milan in 1921, the architect, designer and sculptor gained his first professional experience in the United States after completing his studies at the Politecnico in Milan, where he worked as a visiting professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. During his stay he met Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Konrad Wachsmann, all of whom influenced his work.

Back in his hometown in 1955, he opened an architectural office together with his colleague Bruno Morasutti, with whom he worked until 1960. In all areas, Mangiarotti created iconic designs such as the church of the Mater Misericordia in Brazante, made of concrete beams and a double-walled glass shell, or the building in Via Gavirate in Milan, consisting of three cylindrical residential structures partially clad in wood, which colleagues such as Richard Neutra admired. While Mangiarotti used traditional concrete beams for the supporting structures of his large building projects, he invented new ways of structuring and rhythmizing the facades, adapted to the wishes of the residents of these modern apartment complexes in Milan, Monza or Como.

When designing the object, Mangiarotti's focus was also on constructive questions, especially on the development of structures that do not require unnecessary connecting elements, such as the tables in the 'Eros' series (1971), made of marble, whose tops are placed on the respective conical substructures and remain stable solely due to their high weight. The 'V+V' ceiling lights for Venini, which consist of individual glass rings, are also based on a plug-in system that Mangiarotti chose in order to be able to do without metal connections. Organic shapes characterize many of his lamp designs such as 'Lesbo' and 'Saffo' (1966) as well as his designs for vases and clocks such as 'Secticon' (1956). His design principles can be found figuratively in his free artistic work as a sculptor.

In collaboration with manufacturers such as Artemide, Cappellini, Knoll, Skipper and Vistosi, he produced design classics that combine modern shapes with traditional materials. His most famous designs include the 'Incas Table' (1978), the 'Chicago Chair' (1983) and the 'Giogali' glass collection (1967), which also reflect his special interest in marble and glass.

Before Mangiarotti died in Milan in 2012 at the age of 91, he received numerous awards and was honored with exhibitions around the world.