Large Chrome and Brass Two-Tier Console by Willy Rizzo, Edited by Jean Charles, circa 1970

This imposing double-tier chrome and brass console is a characteristic creation of Willy Rizzo, an inescapable figure in French design of the 1970s. The combination of brilliant chrome and gilt brass produces a contrast of materials very typical of Rizzo's vocabulary — luxurious, assertive, resolutely oriented towards the world of Parisian glamour. The two-tier structure, at once functional and sculptural, bears witness to Rizzo's concern for balance between architecture and decoration.

Willy Rizzo (1928–2013) is a singular figure in the Parisian creative world. An internationally renowned fashion photographer in the 1950s and 1960s — photographing for Paris Match, Life, and Vogue the greatest stars of his era — he turned in the 1970s to furniture design, producing a collection of pieces edited by Jean Charles that have since become classics of contemporary design. His consoles, coffee tables, bars, and dining tables, recognisable by their generous use of chrome, brass, and smoked glass, are now eagerly sought at the world's leading auction houses.

This console presents in fine overall condition, with the beautiful patina of aged chrome and brass. It will find its natural place in an entrance hall, drawing room, or dining room, bringing the glamorous elegance of 1970s Paris into any contemporary or classical interior.