One of the most enigmatic and polarizing figures to emerge in Italian design, Aldo Tura is an outlier in the world of mid-century furniture. The designer’s glamorous bar carts, coffee tables, cabinets and more resist categorization and draw inspiration from Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, Surrealist and modernist styles.
Tura moved through distinct phases in his career in terms of aesthetics, influences and finishes, rendering his life’s work exciting and diverse. Despite these phases, he held a singular devotion to one material: lacquered goatskin. Tura established a furniture production house in 1939 in Lombardy, and some of his early work focused on tables, decorative lamps and more. He later expanded to bar furnishings like rolling carts, cabinets and complementary barware accessories like ice buckets and cocktail shakers. The eccentric, gleaming and luxe surface of lacquered goatskin was a constant, along with eggshell, parchment and leather.
By the 1950s, Tura had begun to use hand-painted figural panels on the surface of cabinets, serveware (such as carafes) and other pieces. He even replicated famous works by artists like Monet and Bruegel the Elder and art from the Middle Ages, sometimes playfully embedding the paintings on cabinets shaped like oversize books. Even though he had a favored color palette of rich chocolate browns and deep emeralds, his style remained consistently hard to define.
Tura was unlike most of his Italian contemporaries but held a similar reverence for the nation’s traditional craftsmanship and artisanal techniques. He never followed the growing trend of mass-produced, industrial furniture and stuck to creating small, meticulously handcrafted collections. This principled choice means that today, a Tura piece is a rare and highly coveted collectible. The Tura firm continues to operate in Brianza, promoting Italian craftsmanship and the eclectic materials embraced by their namesake designer.
Find authentic vintage Aldo Tura furniture today on 1stDibs.
Carafe Thermos "Macabo" in Parchment Signed Design Aldo Tura, 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in taranto, IT
original Macabo thermos jug designed by Aldo Tura , 1950s made of wood with the ritual coating in parchment purple aubergine It measures 30 cm in height, in very good storage c...
Wood, Parchment Paper
Aldo Tura Thermos Caraffe Brass and Parchment 1950 Italy
By Aldo Tura
Located in Milano, IT
AldoTura
Brass
Aldo Tura Emerald Green Goatskin Brass Thermos Carafe 1960
By Aldo Tura
Located in Paris, IDF
This is a beautiful thermos or carafe or pitcher designed by Aldo Tura in the early 1960s. This carafe is covered by goatskin parchment, in rich shades of emerald green, with brass a...
Brass
Thermos Carafes by Aldo Tura For Macabo, 1950s
By Aldo Tura, Macabo
Located in Roma, RM
Thermos Carafes by Aldo Tura For Macabo, 1950s Product Details Hand-painted goatskin leather and brass. Dimensions: 13 D x 27 H cm / 12 D x 28 H cm
Brass
Thermos Caraffe Pitcher in Goatskin and Brass by Aldo Tura, 1960s, Italy
By Aldo Tura
Located in Rome, IT
Thermos bottle in brown goatskin and brass by the Italian designer Aldo Tura, circa 1960.
Metal, Brass
Aldo Tura by Macabo Midcentury Italy 1950s Green Malachite Goatskin Carafe
By Macabo
Located in Brescia, IT
Carafe by Macabo Italy, 1950s Green goatskin, metal details "Macabo" marks impressed.
Brass
$916 / set
H 7.49 in Dm 1.58 in
Aldo Tura Set of Two Goatskin Parchment and Brass Bottle Openers, Italy 1960s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Milan, IT
Splendid Aldo Tura Set of Two Goatskin Parchment and Brass Bottle Openers, One In Blue and One in Red. Italy 1960s
Brass
$458
H 11.82 in Dm 3.94 in
Aldo Tura for Macabo Milano Italy Thermos Decanter in Wood, Chrome and Wicker
By Aldo Tura, Macabo
Located in Rome, IT
Aldo Tura for Macabo Milano, Italy honeycomb motif decanter made of wicker, wood and chrome. Wooden exterior material with metal spout and cork stopper and blown glass lined interior.
Chrome
White Aldo Tura Thermos Carafe, Italy, 1960's, Hollywood Regency
By Aldo Tura
Located in Cork, IE
UK & EUROPE CUSTOMERS: PLEASE CONTACT US FOR A CUSTOMIZED SHIPPING QUOTE! See our store for more Aldo Tura barware, bar carts and accessories (including a matching ice bucket an...
Brass
1950s Aldo Tura Goatskin and Brass Carafe Thermos Italy
By Aldo Tura
Located in Chula Vista, CA
AMBIANIC presents 1950s Aldo Tura Goatskin and Brass Carafe Thermos Pitcher Barware made in Italy, maker stamped. 11.5 h x 3.75 diameter x 4.5 d Preowned vintage wear, see all images...
Brass
Thermos Caraffe Pitcher in Goatskin by Aldo Tura, Mid-Century Modern
By Aldo Tura
Located in Rome, IT
Thermos bottle in brown goatskin and brass by Aldo Tura, circa 1960.
Brass
Mid-century cream parchment cocktail shaker, Aldo Tura Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century cream parchment cocktail shaker Aldo Tura Italy 1950s The leather is not lacquered as Tura sets usually are in the later 60s productions but bare, very rare to find in ...
Brass
Mid-century brown parchment ice bucket, Aldo Tura Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century brown parchment ice bucket Aldo Tura Italy 1950s h 23 cm - 19 × 19 cm Along with artists like Piero Fornasetti and Carlo Bugatti, Aldo Tura (1909-1963) definitely bel...
Metal
$1,250
H 8.75 in W 9.25 in D 8 in
Aldo Tura Italian Goatskin Parchment and Brass Ice Bucket, Milan, circa 1960s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Minneapolis, MN
This is an elegant and highly collectible vintage ice bucket by Aldo Tura, crafted in Milan, Italy, during the 1960s. This refined example showcases one of Tura's signature materials...
Brass
Vintage Black Coffee Set by Eugen Wiedamann, Germany, 1950s-1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Black coffee set by Eugen Wiedamann is an original decorative group of objects realized between the 1950s and the 1960s. Made in Germany. Realized...
Metal, Enamel, Tin
$335
H 10.63 in W 5.91 in D 3.94 in
Mid-century parchment Barware thermos, Aldo Tura, Macabo Italy early 1950s
By Macabo, Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century parchment Barware thermos Aldo Tura, Macabo Italy early 1950s Parchement, brass h 27 cm diam. 15 × 10 cm Conditions: excellent conditions consistent with age and use.
Brass
Aldo Tura Bowls and Thermos Bottle Italian Made for Cusano
By Aldo Tura
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Aldo Tura bowl and thermos bottle Bowl dimensions: 16 H cm 20 D cm Bottle dimension : 32 H cm 16 D cm.
Aluminum
Mid-Century Modern Aldo Tura Goat Skin Bar Cart
By Aldo Tura
Located in New York, NY
A vintage two-tier serving cart by noted Mid-Century designer Aldo Tura. This piece has chocolate colored, lacquered goatskin shelves and brass detailing. This can be see at our stor...