An exceptional Highboard storage cabinet designed in the 1960s by the celebrated Belgian designer Oswald Vermaercke. This masterpiece perfectly embodies the golden age of Belgian Modernist design and the Scandinavian refinement that strongly influenced Belgian production in the mid-20th century.
Materials and Woodwork:
This piece is distinguished by a remarkable Brazilian Rosewood veneer. The dark, contrasting, deeply expressive grain has been meticulously selected and applied in book-matched panels on the doors and top. The flamed figuring of the rosewood gives this piece a singular sculptural presence and a markedly decorative quality.
Design and Features:
The piece presents a striking geometric façade divided into two distinct sections:
• Upper section: opens with two hinged doors onto a fitted interior with shelves and removable vertical dividers, ideal for use as a bar or secretary.
• Lower section: fitted with two sliding doors that optimise space, revealing wide adjustable storage shelves.
The signature detail lies in the handles: superb rectangular finger pulls, hollow-carved directly into the body of the wood, typical of Oswald Vermaercke's craftsmanship. The whole rests on a slender, tapered sledge base, lending an impression of airy lightness that elegantly contrasts with the robust body of the cabinet.
This cabinet is in excellent original condition. The original finish has retained all its lustre, revealing the rosewood's superb warm natural patina. Structurally sound and stable. Doors and runners operate smoothly. Only minor signs of age-appropriate use. Excellent condition with a fine patina.
A handsome coffee table designed by Mario Marenco for Mobilgirgi, Italy, 1970s.
Executed in solid oak, this table is distinguished by its four characteristic legs composed of rounded slats that rise above the top — an immediately recognisable signature of Mario Marenco's design.
The top rests between the legs in a perfect balance between robustness and lightness. The texture of the oak, the knots in the wood and the carefully rounded edges testify to a high quality of manufacture.
Very good general condition, patina of use consistent with the age of the piece.
Italy, 1970s.
This piece takes the form of a compact chest of drawers resting on four slender compass legs, a signature of the 1950s-60s design. The façade, of great sobriety, is articulated by three drawers with recessed oval handles in contrasting black, lending a discreet, refined graphic touch.
The teak veneer, with warm luminous tones, has been carefully selected, highlighting fine and regular graining.
The remarkable feature of this piece lies in its convertible system:
- The top opens via a lift-up flap- The inner face of this flap is entirely fitted with a mirror- A second mirror is integrated into the lower section (top surface), creating an interplay of reflections and a genuine visual depth
- The sliding top extends towards the user, forming a functional shelf (vanity or writing surface). This ingenious device, typical of 1960s design, perfectly illustrates the search for space optimisation and versatility: a piece both discreet and convertible, conceived for modern interiors.
The work of Paul Geoffroy belongs to the current of post-war French Modernism, influenced by Scandinavian design and Functionalist principles. We find here: pure lines and balanced proportions; sobriety of ornament; the pursuit of intelligent, modular use; quality of execution and attention to detail. This piece testifies to a design at once elegant and pragmatic.
Traces on the silvering of the mirrors attesting to their authenticity.
A very fine design rolling cart in brushed steel and dark-green smoked glass on swivel wheels. The table is sold with its serving tray. 1970s.
A fine Italian Neoclassical console table of the mid-20th century with four legs, in cream-lacquered and giltwood, apron decorated with rosettes, square tapered and fluted legs. Stretcher surmounted by a finial, cream marble top.
An elegant pair of pedestal columns in wood, with painted decoration in faux-marble trompe-l'œil. The central shaft imitates a beige-yellow marble with fluid veining, while the bases and upper tops evoke a black marble veined with white. Decorative work executed by hand in the 1970s in the spirit of revisited classical interiors. Perfectly stable and solid. Very good general condition. Weight: 11.500 kg each.
An elegant round guéridon in painted wood resting on a tripod base richly carved with volutes, beads and stylised shells, enhanced with gilt highlights. The central baluster shaft is adorned with gadroons and pearled motifs, in a Baroque and Rocaille spirit revisited in the 19th century. Later patina. The circular top is in painted wood decorated in faux marble in tones of brown and ochre, a sought-after decorative technique that lends the whole refinement and originality. Good general condition, wear and patina of time.
A very fine rectangular coffee table in teak, emblematic of 1960s Scandinavian design, produced by the celebrated Danish manufactory Trioh. This piece stands out for the elegance of its lines and the quality of its finishes. It features an upper top with slightly curved edges and a slatted shelf (magazine rack) in the lower section, offering functional storage space while underlining the airy graphism of the structure. The tapered base, typical of Danish Modernism, lends great visual lightness to the whole. The table bears the original mark "Trioh - Made in Danemark" stamped beneath the top, guaranteeing its authenticity and value on the art market.
Excellent state of preservation. The teak presents a deep, warm honey patina. The structure is perfectly stable.
An exceptional and rare four-leaf screen presenting an Arte Povera (or Lacca Povera) decoration on a ground of antique green lacquer. This piece constitutes a refined testimony of the taste of the Directoire period, marking the transition between the delicacy of the 18th century and the rigour of the First Empire.
The decoration is composed of applied engravings, after the works of Carle Vernet (1758-1836). One finds here the artist's favourite themes: hunting scenes, genre scenes, Neoclassical repertoire such as winged caducei, quivers, torches and laurel wreaths. The Arte Povera technique consists of the meticulous application of engravings on a painted support, the whole protected by numerous layers of resin varnish.
The reverse of the screen is treated with equal care, presenting moulded panels painted in a green tonality. Late 18th / early 19th century.
A striking and elegant pair of carved, painted and gilt wood pedestals. Apron decorated with acanthus leaves, red marble top supported by three legs decorated with winged dragons in the upper section, joined by a stretcher shelf. Italy, 19th century.
A very fine pair of Italian Neoclassical-style pedestals in painted and giltwood, fluted, decorated with acanthus leaves, drawing on themes of classical antique art and architecture. Late 19th century. With signs of wear and minor losses consistent with age.
Kurt Østervig (Denmark 1912 – 1986), pair of two-tier side tables in teak. 20th century.
Can be used as sofa-end tables, bedside tables or side tables. K. Østervig began his career as a naval architect before changing direction to work for E. Knudsen's at Odense, one of the most renowned furniture manufactories of the 1930s and 1940s.
In the 1960s, he was one of the first Danish designers to be temporarily exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Some marks on one of the tables (see photos).