Carlo Bugatti
Desk, ca. 1902
Ebonised wood, copper, leather, bone
h. 31 3/4 in. (80,6 cm) - w. 53 1/4 in. (146,6 cm) - w. 34 in. (86 cm)
MARKS : There is an inscription in Arabic on the top which translates into ‘Knowledge does not stop here’. It is unclear what Baron Branca’s profession was, but this inscription added to the Ibis birds on the desk might indicate he was a scientist or an archaeologist of some kind.
PROVENANCE : This desk was made for Baron Rodolfo Branca for his Tuscan home, Villa Tib, in Grassina near Florence - By descent - Finarte, Bergamo, 25th March 2018 - Private collection - Jacques Lacoste, Paris.
SIMILAR PIECES : Like several other documented commissioned pieces by Bugatti, this desk is the only example of this design known to date.