Joachim Tantau, home

Vesica Pisces

Dark

A hand-carved light sculpture for the wall.

Lime wood & obsidian42 × 82 cmEdition of 202024
Vesica Pisces, dark: a carved black almond-shaped wall sculpture with a black obsidian sphere at its base, light rays spreading across the pale wall behind it.

The form

The first figure the compass draws.

Draw two circles through each other's centres and they overlap in an almond: the vesica. It is the first figure the compass gives after the circle itself, and the hexagon, the six-fold flower and the Gothic arch all come out of it.

The shape has carried meaning for as long as people have drawn it. It is where two circles meet, two complementary forces overlapping, and so it has long stood for duality and for the passage from one realm to the next. That meaning sits in the shape itself: it is the form that leads from one circle into the other.

Vesica Pisces is a more complex version of this figure, built on a slightly different geometry, carved in lime wood and finished in black, with a sphere of black obsidian at its lowest point. Learn more about the geometry

Empty pageThe vesica

A blank page and a compass.

Made by hand, one at a time.

Each piece is carved by hand in Joachim Tantau's studio near Hamburg, so no two surfaces are alike.

The light sits behind the frame and escapes through narrow slits, throwing rays across the wall. They change as one walks past, and the carved surface catches every cut. A button at the bottom switches the light on and off and dims it to the room.

Vesica Pisces, dark is a limited edition of 20 pieces. Its twin, Vesica Pisces, light, is carved in the same way and finished in white with a glass sphere.

The obsidian sphere resting in the V at the base of the carved frame.
The carved frame seen from below, with light escaping through the slits.

Details

The piece

Material
Lime wood, clay, black obsidian
Size
42 × 82 × 10 cm
Weight
7 kg
Light
LED, dimmable with a button at the bottom
Edition
Limited edition of 20
Creator
Joachim Tantau, Hamburg, Germany

Price and purchase

Price
EUR 3,429 incl. 19% VAT
Without VAT: EUR 2,882
Buyers outside the EU pay no German VAT. Shipping and import duties are not included.
Includes
Wooden box, installation and care instructions
Viewing
Welcome in the studio in Hamburg at any time, just ask

Installation

Mounting
Two mounting plates, screwed to the wall
Power
230 V mains, with a supplied plug-in cable or hardwired into the wall
Manual
A detailed installation manual is included.

Service and warranty

Warranty
24 months on materials and electronics
Service
Can be sent back to the studio for repair at any time

Enquire about Vesica Pisces.

To buy Vesica Pisces, to arrange a private viewing in the studio in Hamburg, or to ask about a piece for a specific room, write to the studio. Send a photo of your wall and the piece will be shown on it before you decide. Replies come from Joachim Tantau personally.

Vesica Pisces, dark, seen at an angle on a pale wall.