Acrylic (Lucite) Dice Sculpture on Black Base, Balancing on One Corner, 18 cm, 1970s/80s

This sculpture shows a large die in solid, crystal-clear acrylic, balancing on one of its corners above a black plastic base. The pips from one to six are drilled as round recesses into the polished faces and filled in black. Because the acrylic is completely clear, the pips of every side can be seen at once; they reflect off the inner surfaces and multiply, so the die shows a different pattern of dots depending on the viewing angle and the light. A short pin connects the lower corner of the die to the base and holds the object securely in its seemingly floating tilt.

The square, high-gloss black base with a bevelled edge all round echoes the cube shape and mirrors the die and its pips on its surface. There is no maker's or artist's mark. The die balanced on its point has been a popular motif for desk objects since the Art Deco period, the early examples mostly in bronze or chrome-plated metal; in the 1970s and 1980s the motif was often realised in solid acrylic, which, as Lucite or Plexiglas, had become a material for modern home accessories. This die can be placed in that period.

On a desk, sideboard or shelf the die works like a small light sculpture and suits a Mid-Century, Hollywood Regency or Postmodern interior as well as a pared-back modern setting; as a nod to luck and chance it also makes a lovely gift. The condition is good to very good, with fine signs of use on the acrylic faces visible in raking light. Because of the strong reflections the object is difficult to capture fully in photographs; the many reflections of the pips are part of its optical effect. The sculpture is 18 cm high and the base measures 14.5 × 14.5 cm.