Italian Woven Wood and Brass Box, 1970s

Italy, 1970s. Turned, woven wood — a sculptural basket-weave technique — enjoyed great success in Italian occasional furniture of the decade. This box is a virtuoso demonstration of it. The body is entirely made up of small cylindrical wood blocks, woven into one another basket-style, set on four small turned brass feet. The lid, by contrast, plays it sober with a faux tortoiseshell lacquer in graduated browns, closed with a filigree brass hook. The interior is lined in red satin. Good overall condition: the wood weave is complete and solid, the lid's lacquer is intact, free of chips or dullness; the brass feet remain functional. At 19.5 cm long by 11.5 cm wide and 6 cm high, this box sits on a desk or console. A sculptural, tactile object, between woodcraft and Italian refinement of the seventies.