Furniture by designer Carlo Bugatti piled up among old objects in a former fruit and vegetable depot in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne): it was the happy discovery of auctioneer Jérôme de Colonges who found by chance this set of seven pieces of furniture after the request of a Toulouse family who thought they would throw them away!
They will be sold at auction on March 8 at the Ivoire-Primardeco study in Toulouse and are estimated between 800 and 4,000 euros, depending on their nature.
“I collected this set in incredible conditions since I did not know this family living in the Compans-Caffarelli district when they called me to ask my opinion on this furniture, after reading an article about the days of expertise, says Jérôme de Colonges.
When I saw these atypical pieces of furniture in this former market garden depot, I immediately thought of Carlo Bugatti.
They are a little damaged but the fact that they are in their original condition interests collectors.
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The set – which includes two pairs of wall-mounted saddles, a walnut bench, a wooden mirror, a wall shelf partly covered in parchment, a pair of wooden chairs and a large wall-mounted harness – dates from the Italian period before 1900 of the designer born February 16, 1856 in Milan and died March 31, 1940 in Molsheim (Bas-Rhin).
As non-conformist as he was a brilliant decorator, Carlo Bugatti used Japanese and Moorish motifs as well as Arab architecture in his numerous creations.
The designer, who triumphed at the Turin Exhibition in 1902, had two equally famous sons: the animal sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti and the automobile manufacturer Ettore Bugatti.
“The owner inherited this set from his uncle and does not know more about its origin,” confides the auctioneer.
He knew the name Bugatti but for cars!
Beyond the value of these beautiful pieces of furniture, it's a joy to rediscover a great name, we don't always have that under our hammer!
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