Paolo Buffa Rare Pink Glass Coffee Tables for Arrighi

About the Item

Very rare pair of triangular coffee tables designed by the great Paolo Buffa for Serafino Arrighi production, with surveyed drawing attesting to the authenticity of the piece. The small tables are very beautiful and distinctive, made entirely of a fine light wood that is very durable and beautiful. There are 3 supporting legs of very rigid and geometric conical strut shape. The wood shows obvious darker grains simply wonderful, which makes the table even more rare. The top has a triangular shape as well, on which a very beautiful and eye-catching pink mirrored stained glass has been applied. The coffee tables were designed to create a composition as pictured, which is very elegant and rare. These small tables were taken over by a private house in Lombardy for which Buffa design such small tables. The coffee tables are suitable for eclectic areas for rare mid-century lovers.

Creator:

Serafino Arrighi (Manufacturer),Paolo Buffa (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 16.34 in (41.5 cm)Width: 17.33 in (44 cm)Depth: 15.36 in (39 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 6

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Mirror,Wood

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

1950

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. The coffee tables are in good original vintage condition, with minor scratches and light wear from time and use. The glass is in perfect condition.

Seller Location:

Milano, IT

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU4911232008362

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Shop All Paolo Buffa

Paolo Buffa

With a surname that loosely translates to a synonym for “bizarre” in Italian, Milanese designer and architect Paolo Buffa is best known for capturing the best of both old and new in his plush, enveloping lounge chairs and wingback chairs as well as his range of modern tables, each dazzling and provocative but built using classical techniques.

Purposely playful and airy, mid-century Italian interiors encouraged merriment and socializing. Buffa’s work was well suited to this, but unlike the postwar designers who established recognizable trademarks and signatures, his vintage furniture for Cassina and other firms — the sculptural side tables and case pieces of walnut and solid oak, the luxurious sheepskin sofas — differed considerably from one design to the next, making them appealing to a range of interior decorators and socialites with specific taste. The son of a highly sought-after artist, Giovanni Buffa, Paolo graduated in 1927 from Politecnico di Milano. He then spent time working under architects and designers Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia. Ponti, who himself crafted thousands of furnishings and endlessly creative rooms, was so taken with the young designer that in 1928 he featured his simple and elegant rosewood dressing table in his new magazine, Domus.

After opening a firm with his regular collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa became one of the leading tastemakers of Italian mid-century modern furnishings, designing for villas and residential buildings across the country. His style was a mix of Art Deco, Rationalism, neoclassicism and a bit of whimsy. He used high-quality materials and regularly worked with local ateliers known for their fine craftsmanship to produce his designs, such as Serafino Arrighi and Marelli & Colico. In 1940, he partnered with the Mario Quarti furniture studio on the royal palace of Albania’s King Zog, with Buffa designing the furniture, and in 1951, Egypt’s King Farouk enlisted him to redecorate his yacht.

While Buffa’s transcendent pieces are now collector’s items, there are a few still in production, such as those he made with Angelo Marelli. His eponymous firm, the Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli, still manufactures some designs based on Buffa’s archives.

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