Large wooden bed with headboard/ sculpture designed by Mario Ceroli. Italy, Poltronova, 1972.

Wooden Bed made of Russian pine with cross-cutting grain, depicting the 'Mouth of Truth'. Stamped by the artist and Poltronova.

Literature: Santini, Facendo Mobili con Poltronova, Florenz 1977, S. 45.

Mario Ceroli (Italy 1938) is one of the most influential artists of the Italian post-war period. Ceroli graduated from 'Accademia delle Belle Arti' in Rome, where he studied with Leoncillo, Fazzini and Colla.  In the early stages of Ceroli's career, he concentrated on ceramics, and in 1958 he exhibited these works at the Premio Spoleto. In 1959, Ceroli began to experiment with new materials, particularly raw wood such as Russian pinewood. He used these materials to create silhouetted shapes in his furniture and objects that related simply to the surrounding space. Between 1967 and 1968, Ceroli took part in exhibitions related to the "Arte Povera" group.

The headboard of the Russian pine bed frame is heightened with symbolic meaning through a modern interpretation of the "Bocca della Verità" (Mouth of Truth). Ceroli draws inspiration from a large, disc-shaped marble relief dating back to Roman antiquity, which has been housed in the Roman church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin since the 17th century. According to medieval legend, anyone who places their hand inside the bearded face's mouth while failing to speak the truth loses their hand.