Black Parchment Thermos with Hieroglyphics by Aldo Tura for Macabo, Italy
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 10.83 in (27.5 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Bresso, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2293334751112
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: Bresso, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vintage Turned Beech and Parchment Thermos / Jug by Aldo Tura for Macabo, ItalyBy Macabo, Aldo TuraLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1960s. It is made in turned beech, parchment, brass and silvered glass. This jug is a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be cons...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bottles
MaterialsBrass
- Postmodern Beige Earthenware Pitcher / Vase by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, ItalyBy Aldo Londi, BitossiLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1970s. It was designed by Aldo Londi and produced by Bitossi. Bitossi was founded in 1921 in Montelupo, a city near Florence, and it is one of the most known Italian ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsEarthenware
- Postmodern Green Lacquered Ceramic Vase by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, ItalyBy Aldo Londi, BitossiLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1970s. It was designed by Aldo Londi and produced for Bitossi. Bitossi was founded in 1921 in Montelupo, a city near Florence, and it is one of the most known Italian ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Transparent Glass Vase "Cartoccio" by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, ItalyBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana ArteLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1960s. This vase was designed by Pietro Chiesa and manufactured by Fontana Arte. It is made in transparent etched glass and has a very nice ‘Cartoccio’ (paper bag) sha...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Vintage Handmade Ceramic Vide Poche by Giovanni Poggi for San Giorgio, ItalyBy Ceramiche San GiorgioLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1950s - 1960s. This wonderful square piece is made by Giovanni Poggi and is hand modeled and painted with an abstract motif with an expr...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic
- Vintage Hand-Modeled Earthenware Jar with a Black Varnished Iron Stand, ItalyLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, probably in Tuscany or Lazio, 1950s. This piece is made in hand-modeled earthenware that features its original pleasant patina. It is perfect to decor interiors or g...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Jars
MaterialsIron
- Aldo Tura Midcentury Goatskin and Brass Thermos Decanter for Macabo, Italy 1950sBy Aldo Tura, MacaboLocated in Roma, ITStunning vitrified goatskin thermos decanter with gilt brass trim. Aldo Tura designed this wonderful item in Milan, Italy, during the 1950s for a Macabo production. The piece shows ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Pitchers
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Aldo Tura, Pipe Shaped Parchment Tobacco Box, Macabo Italy 1950sBy Aldo Tura, MacaboLocated 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
- 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 for Macabo Cusano Carved BowlBy Aldo Tura, MacaboLocated in Byron Bay, NSWAldo Tura for Macabo walnut basket centrepiece hand carved wood and brass, Italy, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Baskets
MaterialsWood
- Tura Aldo Italian Designer Thermos in BambooBy Aldo TuraLocated in Prato, TuscanyWe kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Eleg...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Minimalist Pitchers
MaterialsMetal
- Wood Box Bowl by Aldo Tura for Macabo Italy 1950s Art DecoBy Aldo Tura, MacaboLocated in Rome, ITDecorative wooden box with metal handle in the shape of acorns by the Italian designer Aldo Tura for Macabo Cusano Milanino. Made in Italy, circa 1950. On the bottom the original s...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal