Travertine and Chrome Vide-Poche, France, circa 1970

A refined square vide-poche of architectural character, the travertine slab with its characteristic warm, porous surface framed by a polished chrome border, the interior carved with a shallow oval depression. French work, circa 1970. W. 17 × D. 17 × H. 5.5 cm.

Réf : 50's-56199

PRODUCT DETAILS

Period 1970s
Country of Origin France
Dimensions (cm) 17 x 17 x 5.5 cm
Dimensions (in) 6.69 x 6.69 x 2.17 inch
Style Mid-Century Modern
Materials Travertine
Condition Good condition

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The pairing of travertine and polished chrome is one of the defining material combinations of the French luxury interior of the 1970s — a decade in which natural stone, appreciated for its organic warmth and geological character, was consistently juxtaposed with the cool industrial precision of chromium-plated metal to produce objects of understated, architectural elegance. This square vide-poche is an entirely characteristic and highly successful example of that vocabulary.

The piece is composed of a slab of travertine — the warm, creamy-beige limestone whose characteristic pitting and natural variation give it a surface of irreducible individuality — fitted within a frame of polished chrome that runs as a slender border around the perimeter of the top face and continues down the sides in a clean horizontal band. The interior of the travertine is carved with a smooth, shallow oval depression that serves as the receptacle, its carved surface providing a tactile contrast with the rough, porous quality of the surrounding stone.

The proportions are impeccably judged: low and flat at only 5.5 cm in height, the piece has the quality of an architectural fragment or a minimalist sculpture as much as a functional object. It sits naturally on a desk, a side table, a dressing table or an entrance console — wherever small, frequently handled objects accumulate and require a beautiful place to rest.

In excellent condition, the chrome bright and the travertine intact. A very pure and characteristic example of French luxury accessory design of the period.

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