Lot Essay
An example of this model is in the permanent collection of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
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THE FRANCESCO AND CHIARA CARRARO COLLECTION, VENICE
CARLO BUGATTI (1856-1940)
A PSYCHE, CIRCA 1902
Details
CARLO BUGATTI (1856-1940)
A PSYCHE, CIRCA 1902
hand-painted parchment over wood frame, hammered and pierced brass, mirrored glass
71 5/8 in. (182 cm.) high, 46 ¼ (117.5 cm.) wide, 24 5/8 in. (62.5 cm.) deep
A PSYCHE, CIRCA 1902
hand-painted parchment over wood frame, hammered and pierced brass, mirrored glass
71 5/8 in. (182 cm.) high, 46 ¼ (117.5 cm.) wide, 24 5/8 in. (62.5 cm.) deep
Literature
P. Dejean, Carlo, Rembrandt, Ettore, Jean Bugatti, Paris, 1981, p. 75 for another mirror of this model;
H. Hawley, Bugatti, exhibition catalogue, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, 1999, p. 20 for another mirror of this model;
M.-M. Masse, Carlo Bugatti au Musée d'Orsay, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2001, p. 88, cat. 7.57 for an illustration of a mirror of this model in Bugatti's studio;
Exhibition catalogue, Dolce Vita? Du Liberty au Design Italien (1900-1940), Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2015, p. 40, pl. 23.
H. Hawley, Bugatti, exhibition catalogue, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, 1999, p. 20 for another mirror of this model;
M.-M. Masse, Carlo Bugatti au Musée d'Orsay, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2001, p. 88, cat. 7.57 for an illustration of a mirror of this model in Bugatti's studio;
Exhibition catalogue, Dolce Vita? Du Liberty au Design Italien (1900-1940), Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2015, p. 40, pl. 23.
Exhibited
Further details
This rare mirror was designed by Carlo Bugatti for the Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Decorativa Moderna in Turin, 1902, and shown as part of Bugatti’s bedroom suite. Bugatti received a diploma of honor for the four rooms he exhibited in Turin, marking a high point in his career as a furniture designer. The abstract, almost egg-shaped form of the mirror exemplifies Bugatti’s use of curvilinear shapes which he frequently enveloped entirely in vellum and painted with stylized motifs inspired by Japanese and Islamic art.