Art Déco Oval Brass and Eggshell Lacquered Wood Drinks Trolley, Italy, circa 1940

This graceful drinks trolley combines two of the most distinctive materials of Italian Art Déco craftsmanship: polished brass and eggshell-lacquered wood. The oval shelves are finished in a warm, finely textured eggshell lacquer — a labour-intensive technique in which fragments of real eggshell are embedded in the lacquer surface before sanding, creating a subtle matte texture of exceptional refinement. The brass gallery rail that encircles the upper shelf, the curved brass stretchers connecting the legs, and the polished casters below all speak to the high standard of metalwork characteristic of Italian luxury ateliers working in the orbit of the great Milanese decorating firms of the 1930s and 1940s.

Italian Art Déco furniture of this period occupies a distinctive place in the history of twentieth-century design. Under the influence of designers such as Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, and the studios working for the great Milanese houses, Italian craftsmen developed a vocabulary that was at once more voluptuous and more architecturally resolved than its French or British equivalents. The combination of lacquered wood — often employing exotic finishes such as shagreen, eggshell, or straw marquetry — with brass mounts became a hallmark of the very finest Italian production. Drinks trolleys of this form and quality were produced for the grand ocean liners, luxury hotels, and patrician residences that defined Italian elegance during the fascist era and the postwar reconstruction.

Presented in very good vintage condition, consistent with its age and provenance. W. 78.5 cm × D. 51 cm × H. 76.5 cm.