Nicolas Aubagnac
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THEBES I
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Ancient Greece
pure form
The Thebes I lamp was inspired by a visit to the Acropolis of Athens.
It was while admiring the massive and powerful silhouette of the Propylaea that I had the idea of recreating this feeling on the scale of a lamp.
The Thebes I lamp reinvents a play of proportions inherited from ancient Greece, whose architecture is renowned for the purity of its forms and the balance of its compositions.
Capturing the serene strength of these monuments in the design of an object is a challenge for me.
«"Nothing in excess," the Greeks used to say!
OR
parchment marquetry
lampshade: taffeta
Ancestral nobility of the parchment
The Thebes I lamp showcases parchment, a material requiring the expertise of a master cabinetmaker to prepare, select, cut, and then glue the parchment skins onto the piece of furniture. Originally, parchment was used as a writing material before the invention of paper. Succeeding papyrus, the primary writing medium in the West until the 7th century, parchment was used extensively throughout the Middle Ages, particularly by monks who devoted much of their time to creating illuminated manuscripts. It is thanks to parchment that the great philosophical, scientific, and political texts of Greek and Roman antiquity were preserved and disseminated throughout Europe.
We primarily use goat parchment sourced in France. The hides are patiently cleaned in a lime bath, then polished and whitened with pumice and chalk powder. Before a piece of parchment can be worked, it must be moistened to restore its suppleness. This allows it to be used for covering curved shapes.
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, USA
Stunning: this is the apartment decorated by the aesthete Athena Calderone in New York's Tribeca neighborhood. This lover of decorative arts and rare objects chose my Thebes parchment lamp to adorn her bedroom.
The prestigious AD magazine pays tribute to the refined elegance of this interior, which embodies the splendor and charm of Art Deco. Each piece of furniture, each lamp, has found its place like the elements of a precious and precise marquetry.
My Thebes lamp, with its timeless shapes inspired by an obelisk, showcases parchment, a noble material emblematic of the 1930s and 40s, and which perpetuates an unparalleled craftsmanship.
