Aldo Tura Parchment, Brass and Glass Bar Cart, Italy circa 1950
View Similar Items
Aldo Tura Parchment, Brass and Glass Bar Cart, Italy circa 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Aldo Tura (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 33 in (83.82 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. A few light scratches on glass.
- Seller Location:Richmond, VA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU94262858972
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.
- Aldo Tura Parchment Bar Cart with Brass CornucopiaBy Aldo TuraLocated in Palm Springs, CAA bar cart by Aldo Tura in goatskin, 40" wide including handle 37.25 " wide without handle. Accented with decorative brass wheels, handle and cornucopia and bunches of grapes. Refini...Category
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBrass
- Aldo Tura Bar Cart, ItalyBy Aldo TuraLocated in San Francisco, CAAldo Tura bar cart, Italy. Decorative drinks cart made with a brass frame and parchment wrapped shelves on wheels. Ready to install and enjoy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBrass
- Aldo Tura Parchment Drop-Leaf Bar CartBy Aldo TuraLocated in North Hollywood, CAAldo Tura parchment drop-leaf bar cart. Top in open position measures 29.25" by 29.5". Drop leaves are faded from direct sunlight.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Hollywood Regency Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBrass
- 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
- Italian Lacquered Goatskin / Parchment Serving Bar Cart by Aldo Tura, 1960sBy Aldo TuraLocated in HEVERLEE, BEVery unique Aldo Tura Goatskin or parchment bar cart. This bar cart was made in Italy in the 1960s. Constructed of thickly lacquered goatskin / parchment and gilt metal hardware. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsMetal
- 1950s Swan Goatskin Service Bar Cart Aldo Tura ItalyBy Aldo TuraLocated in Chula Vista, CAVintage Italian Service Cart 1950s Aldo Tura 2-tiered Swan bar service cart in goatskin parchment art on trays. 30.5 tall x 34 diameter x 25.5 width ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsGoatskin, Parchment Paper