Imaginative, bold and full of poetic details, the work of Carlo Bugatti pushed the boundaries of the Art Nouveau style. The Italian furniture designer and decorative artist’s celebrated chairs, tables and other pieces are representative of a range of influences that include European Gothic, Moorish traditions and classical Japanese art. Bugatti’s appetite for experimentation with new forms and materials has fueled the imaginations of designers everywhere.
Bugatti was born in 1856 in Milan. The son of successful interior decorator, sculptor and architect Giovanni Bugatti, Carlo set out to follow in his father’s footsteps, studying architecture at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and working as a cabinetmaker. He moved to Paris in 1875 to continue his studies in design at the prestigious Academie des Beaux-Arts. By the early 1880s, Bugatti had moved back to Milan to continue his career in furniture design.
Antique Bugatti seating, center tables and other large furnishings are visually striking in their level of ornamentation. These works feature hand-carved motifs and were frequently inlaid with luxury materials such as mother-of-pearl, ebony and brass — his distinctive Throne chair (ca. 1900), for example, featured pierced copper and vellum. Detailed themes rooted in nature, stencils and geometric patterns adorn his venturesome decorative screens and handcrafted mahogany and walnut chairs and tables.
In 1888, the designer displayed his work publicly for the first time, showcasing pieces at the Industrial Arts Exhibition in Milan and later at the Italian Exhibition in London. His flamboyant furniture led to his becoming an overnight success among members of the aristocracy, who flooded him with commissions to design custom furniture for their homes. In 1904, Bugatti and his family moved to France, where designed furniture for department stores such as Maison Dufayel and Le Bon Marché. His two sons also pursued work in design — Rembrandt Bugatti became a noted sculptor while Ettore gained renown as a leading automobile designer and manufacturer.
Although his furniture became increasingly subdued in appearance over the years — and he would eventually begin to design serveware and jewelry — Bugatti garnered acclaim throughout his career. He received an award at the 1900 Paris Exposition and exhibited interiors and a furniture collection at the inaugural International Exposition of Modern Decorative Arts in Turin, Italy, in 1902. Today, Bugatti’s work remains on permanent display at the Musée de la Chartreuse in Molsheim, France.
Find antique Carlo Bugatti seating, tables and case pieces on 1stDibs.
Carlo Bugatti (1856 - 1940) Hall Console
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in London, GB
Hall Console Table by Carlo Bugatti (1856 - 1940). Part of an extraordinary artistic family, Carlo Bugatti was a designer whose work occupies a singular position between fine art, ...
Copper, Pewter
Rare & One of kind Hall console table & Mirror by Carlo Bugatti, inlaid detail
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Shrewsbury, GB
Many of Carlo Bugatti's superior pieces were commissioned by a number of the Royal Houses of Europe, some of the Great Estates of America and Europe and some of the most successful f...
Copper, Pewter
$7,254Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 35.44 in W 47.25 in D 11.82 in
Console table & mirror sculptural set. One of a kind. Hand crafted
By RinDesign
Located in London, GB
This one of a kind console table and mirror set is a unique piece hand crafted in scagliola, a 16th century traditional craft that combines pigments and composites in marbleised for...
Steel
Antique Mahogany Hall Console Lamp Table
Located in Germantown, MD
Antique mahogany hall console table. Suitable as console, hall or lamp table etc... Maesure 24W x 12 D x 22H.
Walnut
$1,895
H 32 in W 42 in D 12 in
Early 20thC Mahogany Console Table with Inlaid Bell Flowers by Wellington Hall
By Wellington Hall Ltd
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Simple and very elegant demi lune with a scalloped end mahogany console table with banding inlay and marquetry, bell flowers on the legs. Adams style table from the 20s by Wellington...
Mahogany, Maple, Satinwood
$34,479
H 27.56 in W 35.24 in D 22.84 in
Important and Rare Original circa 1900 Carlo Bugatti Occasional Table Ebonized
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this exceptionally rare and important original circa 1900 Carlo Bugatti occasional table This table is special, designed by Carlo Bugatti, Italy around 1900, it’s a rectangular walnut occasional or centre table, partly ebonized, with floral inlays made of pewter, the legs partially covered with copper sheet, the tabletop covered with goatskin, this table was exhibited at the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, 2001 Carlo Bugatti (2 February 1856-April 1940) was an Italian decorator, designer and manufacturer of Art Nouveau furniture, models of jewelry, and musical instruments. Bugatti was born 2 February 1856 in Milan, in what would remain until 1859 the kingdom of Lombardy: he died in Molsheim, France. Biography: Son of Giovanni Luigi Bugatti, a specialist in interior decoration, Carlo studied firstly at the Brera Academy in Milan, and subsequently, from 1875, at the Académie des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1880 he started to manufacture furniture in Milan, later transferring to France. From 1888 he began to be successful beyond Italy. Nevertheless, till 1904 he maintained a Milan workshop in the city's Via Castelfiardo 6. He was also, like his father, trained as an architect, but there is no evidence that any of his architectural designs were ever executed. He triumphed at the exhibition of decorative art in Turin in 1902 and returned to Paris in 1904. Father of sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti and automobile manufacturer Ettore Bugatti, he moved in 1910 to Pierrefonds where he established an atelier. From 1914-1918 he was nominated mayor of the village, and the outspoken anti-German industrialist Adolphe Clément-Bayard, who lived at the Domaine du Bois d'Aucourt, entrusted its upkeep to him. From then on, he devoted himself entirely to painting. After the suicide of his son Rembrandt in 1916, Bugatti, then 60, produced less, but he remained influential. In 1935, at the age of 79, he retired near his son Ettore's family in Alsace. He settled in a flat north of Château Saint-Jean, Dorlisheim, with his wife Teresa (who died shortly afterwards), at the domain of promotion of Bugatti property of his son Ettore. He spent his last months at his apartment at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, where he frequented the workmen and the house of 'the Hardtmühle', living with Ettore and his family. In April 1940, he died at the hospital in Molsheim. He is buried in the Bugatti family cemetery at Dorlisheim. The Bugatti section of Molsheim's municipal Musée de la Chartreuse displays...
Goatskin, Walnut
$3,098
H 33.27 in W 25.2 in D 11.03 in
Italian mid-century modern brass and marble console by Carlo Enrico Rava, 1940s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern brass and marble console by Carlo Enrico Rava, 1940s Fantastic and vintage wall console with semi-oval top in p...
Marble, Brass
Regency Mahogany Hall Console Table
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
An Extremely Fine Early 19th Century, Regency Period, Mahogany Hall Console Table, Or Pier Table, Of Breakfronted Form And Rare Diminutive Proportions, Having Superbly Figured Top Wi...
Mahogany
Unavailable|$4,528
H 35.44 in W 39.77 in D 13.39 in
Mid-century wooden hanging console attributed to Carlo Enrico Rava, Italy, 1940s
By Carlo Enrico Rava
Located in Argelato, BO
Rare and elegant mid-century Italian wooden console table attributed to the Italian architect and designer Carlo Emilio Rava, Italy, 1940 FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE BE...
Wood
$4,500
H 34 in W 47.5 in D 23.5 in
Moorish Carlo Bugatti Style Mother of Pearl Inlaid Ebonized Carved Wood Table
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Forney, TX
A magnificent, rare and most unusual antique Moorish style bone, mother of pearl, shell & ebony inlaid carved wood library table in the manner of legendary designer Carlo Bugatti (It...
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Hardwood, Bone
Console by Enrico Carlo Rava
By Carlo Enrico Rava
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An elegant and architecturally significant console table attributed to renowned Italian architect and designer Carlo Enrico Rava. Crafted in the early 1940s, the piece is constructed...
Onyx
Moroccan Inlaid Console Table or Bar
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Atlanta, GA
Moroccan Inlaid Console Table, Morocco, circa 1950s. It is a versatile size and can be used as a console or sofa table, or as a bar.
Bone, Wood
Console Table, Italy 1940s
Located in Greding, DE
Art Deco console table on a U-shaped blackened wooden frame with intermediate metal struts and rectangular table top covered with white goatskin. In unrestored original condition wit...
Metal
$4,500
H 34 in W 50 in D 20 in
French Art Nouveau Green Wrought Iron Marble Top Scrolling Console Hall Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Art Nouveau Green Wrought Iron Marble Top Scrolling Console Hall Table. Item features a patinated green scrolling wrought iron base with ornate floral work and stretch...
Marble, Wrought Iron