Rare Laverne Designed Bronze and Pewter Centre Table
View Similar Items
Rare Laverne Designed Bronze and Pewter Centre Table
About the Item
- Creator:Philip and Kelvin LaVerne (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.52 in (77.5 cm)Width: 72.05 in (183 cm)Depth: 42.13 in (107 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:Bronze,Pewter
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:1960-1969
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:In Excellent Original Condition.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: M13351stDibs: LU8407790410
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Look closely at any vintage furniture designed by father-son duo Philip and Kelvin LaVerne and a cacophony of stylistic influences reveals itself.
The LaVernes’ position at the intersection of art and design was the result of their combined backgrounds: Philip (1907–87) studied painting with Ashcan School artist John Sloan at the Art Students League of New York, while his son, Kelvin (b. 1937), attended the Parsons School of Design, taking classes in art history, furniture design and metalwork. The resulting merge of stylistic elements and innovative processes make for singular designs that defy categorization, striking a balance between modern and traditional, intricate and minimal, art piece and functional item. Their work was also strikingly different from the modern furniture created by Philip’s brother Erwine and his wife, Estelle, of Laverne Originals.
The LaVernes began producing one-of-a-kind furniture and sculpture in the mid-1950s out of a studio on Wooster Street in New York City before opening a showroom on Manhattan’s East 57th Street. As their 1960s advertisements declared: “It’s not just functional and not just art, it’s an investment.”
The LaVernes married a stunning array of techniques and styles to achieve their singular, deeply layered look for one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces. Chinoiserie motifs abound on many of their acid-etched tables, but art from ancient Greece and Egypt also served as inspiration. The influence of figurative sculptors is evident in designs like coffee tables and side tables with bronze bodies serving as frames or bases; other pieces, meanwhile, have deeply detailed surfaces and strikingly simple silhouettes.
The duo developed their own unconventional methods — sometimes to an extreme — for finishing their pieces: Techniques employed by the LaVernes included acid washing and burying furniture underground in a mixture of soil and chemicals to achieve a desired patina through oxidation. While they sometimes used pewter and silver, bronze was one of their most commonly employed materials, either etched or cast and sometimes paired with glass tops. Their partnership ended when Philip died in 1987 and Kelvin shifted his practice to sculpture.
Find an extraordinary range of vintage Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Pewter and Bronze LaVerne Coffee TableBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in New York, NYA rare LaVerne brass and pewter figural decorated coffee table. Measurements: Height 17.5" Width 30.5" Depth 48".Category
Vintage 1960s American Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Antique French Marquetry and Gilt Bronze Centre TableLocated in London, GBThis table is an exquisite piece of French antique furniture. The table is covered with beautiful marquetry work and finely-cast gilt bronze (ormolu) mounts. The table features a...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Center Tables
MaterialsOrmolu, Bronze
- Rare and Exceptional 19th Century Marble Specimen Top Centre TableLocated in Dublin, IEAn exceptionally rare and fine 19th century marble top centre table of circu-lar form, the stunning micro mosaic marble top with c...Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Center Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Gilt Bronze-Mounted Tortoise Shell and Brass Inlaid Boulle Centre TableLocated in Lincoln, GBGilt bronze mounted tortoise shell and brass inlaid Boulle centre table. Late 19th Century early 20th century. Exquisitely detailed Jean-Jacques Boulle centre table with gilt bronze ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Center Tables
MaterialsBrass
$18,710 Sale Price70% Off - Very Fine and Rare 19th Century Specimen Marble Top Centre TableLocated in Dublin, IERare 19th century mahogany specimen marble top centre table of circular form, the stunning marble top comprising of beautiful examples of Carrera White, Sienna, Nero Portoro Black, P...Category
Antique 19th Century French Center Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Antique Gilt Bronze Mounted Centre Table with Marble TopLocated in London, GBThis elegant table was created in France during the Bourbon restoration, following the fall of Napoleon I in 1814. The table is designed in a refined Neoclassical style, which was po...Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Center Tables
MaterialsMarble, Bronze, Ormolu