Italian Art Deco Two-Tier Side Table, 1930s

Design
1930s

Manufacture
1930-1939

Location
Lonigo, IT

Italian Art Deco Two-Tier Side Table, burl wood, Italy, 1930s

This occasional table takes the form of two graduated circular tops set at different heights, joined by a cruciform block that gives the piece the presence of a small sculptural pedestal. The upper and lower surfaces are laid in book-matched walnut veneer, the grain unfolding outward from the center in a pattern that catches the light differently depending on the angle of view. A narrow band of striped exotic wood wraps the edge of each top and continues down the four straight, rectangular legs, giving the piece a crisp linear frame around its more fluid veneer work. The design belongs to the vocabulary of Italian Art Deco furniture of the late 1920s and 1930s, a period defined by geometric, sculptural form and a fascination with contrasting veneers used almost as inlay. The stepped two-tier composition here, doubling the surface area without doubling the footprint, was a favored device of the era for occasional and side tables meant to hold objects at two different heights. The interplay of warm walnut figuring against the darker striped banding reflects the material sophistication typical of Italian cabinetmaking of the period, where veneer selection carried as much design weight as form itself.