Pierced Disc Exorcism
Gio Ponti
One of Gio Ponti’s most original inventions is certainly the pierced disc, conceived between 1928 and 1929. Originally available in three different sizes, its shape resembles the so-called bi disc, an artifact used in ancient China for funeral rites, but it may also have been inspired by the ostensory of the Catholic liturgy. In both cases, Ponti’s ironic reference to sacred iconography and the supernatural presences is evident.
Designed by Ponti in the same period, the Exorcism decoration features a radial motif on one side and a tight composition of stylized figures on the other, some recognizable (such as the book with the alpha and omega, the sun, the grate, the tongs, the wheel) and others more difficult to decipher. The result is a sort of playful parody of a ritual object with references to esotericism and witchcraft. Many of the elements present in Exorcism would reappear some time later, arranged in a similar manner as trophies, in the Pontesca decoration (inv. 6790). The function of this artifact is uncertain: in price lists it is indicated as a paperweight or pierced disc, but in later literature it has been described as a clock holder.
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One of Gio Ponti’s most original inventions is certainly the pierced disc, conceived between 1928 and 1929. Originally available in three different sizes, its shape resembles the so-called bi disc, an artifact used in ancient China for funeral rites, but it may also have been inspired by the ostensory of the Catholic liturgy. In both cases, Ponti’s ironic reference to sacred iconography and the supernatural presences is evident.
Designed by Ponti in the same period, the Exorcism decoration features a radial motif on one side and a tight composition of stylized figures on the other, some recognizable (such as the book with the alpha and omega, the sun, the grate, the tongs, the wheel) and others more difficult to decipher. The result is a sort of playful parody of a ritual object with references to esotericism and witchcraft. Many of the elements present in Exorcism would reappear some time later, arranged in a similar manner as trophies, in the Pontesca decoration (inv. 6790). The function of this artifact is uncertain: in price lists it is indicated as a paperweight or pierced disc, but in later literature it has been described as a clock holder.
