Italian Aldo Tura Timber Desk Lamp with Pen Holder, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Aldo Tura (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.85 in (25 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 7.49 in (19 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Byron Bay, AU
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4258226405762
Aldo Tura
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Byron Bay, Australia
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Aldo Tura Bowl Italian Made 1950sBy Aldo TuraLocated in Byron Bay, NSWAldo Tura hand crafted bowl.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsWood
- Italian Aldo Tura for Macabo Cusano Hand Carved Basket and Thermos Bottle 1950sBy Aldo TuraLocated in Byron Bay, NSWItalian Aldo Tura for Macabo Cusano Milanino Milano hand carved walnut wood basket and thermos bottle 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsWalnut
- Aldo Tura Goatskin Bar Cart, 1950By Aldo TuraLocated in Byron Bay, NSWA rare and Unusual bar cart by Aldo Tura. Finished in lacquered Goatskin, with two-tier glass shelvers and brass accents. Set atop brass wheels lined in ru...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBrass
- Aldo Tura Bowls and Thermos Bottle Italian Made for CusanoBy Aldo TuraLocated in Byron Bay, NSWAldo Tura bowl and thermos bottle Bowl dimensions: 16 H cm 20 D cm Bottle dimension : 32 H cm 16 D cm.Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Decorative Baskets
MaterialsAluminum
- Mid Century Modern Aldo Tura Burlwood Flooting Platform Coffee Table, 1950By Aldo TuraLocated in Byron Bay, NSWItalian Mid Century Modern Aldo Tura Burlwood floating platform base low/coffee table, 1950s. The combination of Modernist design with the densely grained Burlwood veneers creates a refreshing, informal, warm and sophisticated aesthetic. The recessed base...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBurl
- Italian Hand Carved Timber Deer Head SculptureLocated in Byron Bay, NSWUnique Italian hand carved deer Sculpture made of timber.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsWood
- 1950s Wooden Monk Lamp by Aldo Tura Signed Macabo Italy MidcenturyBy Macabo, Aldo TuraLocated in Rome, ITNot many Aldo Tura pieces can be compared to this unique lamp, hand-carved from a single piece of wood. Aldo Tura lamps were done in small editions and the detail and level of sophis...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Wood Orphan Child Lantern Table Lamp by Aldo Tura for Macabo, Italy, 1950sBy Aldo Tura, MacaboLocated in Rome, ITThis particular and sophisticated lamp made by Aldo Tura is most likely a unique prototype lamp. Aldo Tura lamps were done in small editions, thus the d...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Elephant Table Lamp Hand Carved Wood and Copper Aldo Tura for Macabo Italy 1950sBy Aldo Tura, MacaboLocated in Rome, ITNot many Aldo Tura pieces can be compared to this unique table lamp, hand carved from a single piece of wood. Aldo Tura lamps were done in small editions and the detail and level of ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCopper
- 1950s Aldo Tura by Macabo Midcentury Italy Goatskin Carafe with LabelBy Aldo TuraLocated in Brescia, ITCarafe by Aldo Tura, Italy, 1950s. Ivory goatskin and metal details.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bottles
MaterialsGoatskin
- Aldo Tura, Pipe Shaped Parchment Tobacco Box, Macabo Italy 1950sBy Macabo, Aldo TuraLocated in Firenze, ITPipe shaped parchment and brass tobacco box designed by Aldo Tura Macabo Italy 1950s The box has two compartments, one for storing tobacco and anoth...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Italian Turned Wood Thermos Carafe Set Attributed to Aldo TuraBy Aldo TuraLocated in Chicago, ILVintage Italian turned wood thermos carafe set attributed to Aldo Tura. All pieces are solid wood lathe turned including the tray. Uncertain to the exa...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsWood
