Angelo Mangiarotti Eros dining table Skipper Italy 1971

The Eros dining table, designed by Angelo Mangiarotti and manufactured by Skipper in Italy in 1971, is widely regarded as one of the most iconic expressions of post-war Italian design. With its deceptively simple form and radical structural innovation, the Eros model, crafted here in rare Mondragone marble, marks a pivotal moment in Mangiarotti’s career, where architecture and design converge in perfect harmony.

At first glance, the Eros table appears minimalist in form, yet it is underpinned by an extraordinary level of technical and philosophical complexity. The design is the culmination of formal and structural investigations Mangiarotti had begun years earlier, particularly through his CAP59 vases, which explore circular geometry, hyperboloids, and lathed forms. Here, these ideas are fully realized in marble, culminating in a design that is both sculptural and engineeringly precise.

The most striking aspect of the table is its gravity-based joinery: the top rests on the conical base through a single carved insertion, with no mechanical fasteners or adhesives. The precision of the circular hole and the tapered connection creates a self-locking system that relies solely on weight and balance, an innovation that reflects Mangiarotti’s deep commitment to structural logic and his background in architecture. It is both a feat of engineering and a poetic gesture, embodying the principle that form must follow the forces acting upon it.

The Eros series as a whole, named for its invisible connections, emerged following the success of this foundational design. It became Mangiarotti’s definitive masterpiece, crystallizing his exploration of modularity, rotational geometry, and material integrity. These ideas were rooted in his architectural practice, particularly evident in his Casa Tre Cilindri (Three Cylinder House) in Milan (1959–1962), a structural tour de force composed of three cylindrical volumes joined by a central vertical axis. The house’s emphasis on central support and open planning deeply influenced his furniture, with parallels clearly visible in the balance and logic of the Eros table.

This particular example is executed in Mondragone marble, a highly sought-after stone quarried in Italy’s Campania region, prized for its flowing veins of grey, beige, and white. The natural richness of this marble adds an additional layer of depth and texture to the already bold form. The surface is still in fully original condition showing the integrity of the stone. The table is in very good condition, free from chips, cracks, or structural flaws, an increasingly rare find given the delicacy and age of these pieces.

Today, Mangiarotti’s work is celebrated internationally, and the Eros series holds pride of place in important private collections, design museums, and architectural interiors across the world. This table is not only a functional object but a collectible sculpture, emblematic of Italian radical design and a testament to Mangiarotti’s unwavering belief in the unity of structure and form.

• Very good original condition
• Very minimal and only superficial wear to the top