French 1930s Large Straw Marquetry Box

This cylinder box is an exceptionally fine example of straw marquetry, and a rare survivor of the craft, which involves the cutting, coloring, and mounting of split straws to form de...

This 1930s Italian bench is so over-scaled, and monumental in appearance, that it seems to have been made for the large room it was destined, rather than the comfort of a typical sitter. As such, it would function equally well as a low side table or a high cocktail table. We’ll allow the buyer to determine its use. The designer was Pierluigi Colli, and the fabricator Martinotti, the Turin furniture and interior decorating firm that was established in 1831, and exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition and the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair. Colli’s family owned a textile company that supplied Martinotti with upholstery fabrics, suggesting nepotism had something to do with his being hired as the firm's director in 1926. Nevertheless, he proved himself worthy as a designer and a businessman. Having studied in Paris at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, he befriended leading French designers, and arranged for Martinotti to retail Lalique glass and Jean Perzel lighting. In addition, the quality of their work, and Colli’s dedication to the modern design movement, prompted Carlo Mollino, Gio Ponti, and Gino Levi-Montalcini, among others, to have Martinotti fabricate some of their furniture. Colli’s claim to fame, however, is his own work as a designer, and his ability to master the vocabularies of every trend from Art Deco to midcentury modern. During the Great Depression, when nearly every nation floundered economically, fascist Italy...

This late 1930s Venini chandelier has two rings of curved-glass elements suspended from a brass frame. It appears to glow magically from within because the glass elements are infuse...

Véronese was established in 1931 by Marcel Barbier. The firm was unique in having a design office in Paris and a glasswork on Murano. They developed a product line of clear translucent glass that was promoted through extensive advertising, and sold from striking modern showrooms in Paris and Nice. Their master glassblower was Giovanni Veronese, but the name was probably meant to evoke the 17th century Venetian painter Paolo Veronese, who depicted glassware and other luxury goods. Launched during the Depression, Véronese devised a lean business model. Rather than having an in-house art director they commissioned designs from independent architects, like Marcel Roux...

This English 1930s mirror-framed dressing table mirror could also serve as a frame for a photograph. On the cresting are three acid-etched plumes...

These earthbound chairs appear to be weightless. Such is the illusion that the designer René Prou was able to create in 1930s Paris with the aid of a highly-skilled upholsterer. Befo...

This elegant straw marquetry decorative lidded box has its design attributed to French designer Jean Michel Frank (1895 - 1941). The long rectangular shape has a refined geometric de...

This is a lovely Art Deco straw marquetry decorative lidded box whose design is attributed to Jean Michel Frank (1895 - 1941). The rectangular shape has...

Beautiful Jean-Michel Frank straw marquetry decorative box from the 1930s. Carved from beech wood fully covered by straw marquetry with radiating patterns. It has been fully restored, with slight traces on the marquetry remaining, and the yellow velvet fabric inside that was pretty damaged has been replaced by a black velvet fabric. The box is unsigned, but really similar in size and pattern to Jean-Michel Frank boxes...

Geometric angular design. Cork interior. Three bronze four sided pyramids attached. Unsigned and 'attributed to'. Provenance: Liz O'Brien NYC c.2000.

Dome topped table coffer veneered with traditional Russian designs in straw marquetry. This is a rare and vibrant object in rather careworn condition....

French steel box from the 1930s. Green lacquered case with golden craquelé pattern. The cash register has a classic handle and a key to lock. Painted green in the interior and a shee...