Carlo Bugatti Early pair of cabinet doors, designed for the...

Carlo Bugatti
Early pair of cabinet doors, designed for the Italian painter, Giovanni Segantini, circa 1880
Walnut, ebonised walnut, bone, repoussé brass, copper, brass, pewter inlays, passementerie.
237 x 123 x 23 cm
Provenance
Giovanni Segantini and Luigia Pierina 'Bice' Bugatti
Private collection, London, 1980s
Private collection, London, acquired from the above by the present owner, 2003

Literature
Philippe Dejean, Carlo-Rembrandt-Ettore-Jean Bugatti, New York, 1982, doors illustrated p. 91
Irene de Guttry and Maria Paola Maino, Il mobile liberty italiano, Bari, 1983, doors illustrated p. 118
Carlo Bugatti au musée d'Orsay: Catalogue sommaire illustré du fonds d'archives et des collections, exh. cat., Paris, 2001, doors illustrated p. 41

The present lot was designed by Carlo Bugatti for Italian painter Giovanni Segantini who was the lifelong partner of Bugatti's sister, Luigia Pierina Bugatti, also known as 'Bice'. Whilst any documented works by Bugatti are rare, it also forms part of what is believed to be the earliest known designs of furniture by Bugatti, executed upon his return to Italy and Milan after his education in Paris.