Wood with black paint, tin inlays, bone, copper, turned elements, painted leather
Italy, circa 1900
Design: Carlo Bugatti (1846-1940) - Italian designer and architect
Elaborate inlaid work, turned and copper repoussé work
Moorish, medieval, Japanese and Byzantine elements merging into the eclectic style
Height: 288 cm, dimensions: 190 x 58 cm
Very good condition
The extravagant furniture by Carlo Bugatti sells for up to € 300,000 in the international auction market

The pieces of furniture made by Carlo Bugatti are among the most original and extravagant creations that emerged at the end of the 19th century. His unique style is considered to be his personal interpretation of the Art Nouveau. His furniture is characterized by an imaginative mix of style elements and unusual materials. In his works, Moorish, Japanese, medieval, Egyptian and Byzantine elements merge together.

The fireplace mantel stands on a base. Above arises a high mirror, which is flanked by a pair of beautiful supports wrapped with copper tape. The upper part of the mirror frame has a section in the form of a Moorish arch. All parts are made of black painted wood, which is decorated on all sides with tin inlays in the typical manner of graphic characters. There are as well the characteristic copper discs with ornamental embossed work. The fireplace screen is covered with leather and painted with a Japanese-like motif with pine branches and swallows.

The fire screen bears the signature and a date of Bugatti's usual furniture painter Riccardo Pellegrini, ‘Pellegrini 19 ... '. The fireplace is in very good condition, showing some wear. The painting shows some major abrasions. The height is 288 cm, and the dimensions are 190 x 58 cm.

Carlo Bugatti (1846-1940)

Carlo Bugatti was the son of the architect and sculptor Giovanni Luigi Bugatti. He studied at the Accademia di Brera in Milan and then at the Paris Académie des Beaux-Arts. From 1880, he first worked as an architect in Milan, but he soon turned to furniture design. His unusual creations, which show influences of the East and the West, were presented for the first time in 1888 at the Milan Art Industry Fair. This was followed by other exhibitions and awards. In 1900, his furniture was honored at the World Exhibition in Paris with the silver medal. Bugatti was now internationally known and received, among other things, the order to set up the Turkish Salon at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. Until 1904, he operated his workshop in his hometown Milan. Afterwards Bugatti settled in Paris, where he created silver and bronze objects and increasingly devoted himself to painting. In 1910, he moved to Pierrefonds in northern France, where he established his own studio. Besides his ceramics, musical instruments, silverware and textiles, Bugatti’s oeuvre comprises mainly furniture that have until today a unique recognition through her eclectic design. Carlo Bugatti was the father of Ettore Bugatti, the founder of the legendary automotive company.

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