Italian Art Deco Bar Cabinet in Parchment with Inlays Signed by Anzani, 1930s

THE AUTHOR:

Firstly, let’s talk about its history. It was produced most likely in 1939 in Mariano Comense which is a small village near Milan by the artist Giuseppe Anzani. Anzani has been one of the greatest, if not the greatest wood crafter and inlaid maker. He started his career as an engraver when he was a little child and he won awards for his skills when he was only 16. Later on, he started also to master the art of wood inlay, becoming the most skilled inlayer of all times. His fame was so big that people from all over the world used to come to his little laboratory in the small and unknown village of Mariano to give him projects to work on. Thanks to his ability, he collaborated with a lot of famous designers, architects and artists such as Cassi Ramelli, Gariboldi, Buffa, Cabiati, Quarti, Borsani, Gio Ponti and many others. His skills were well known also in the USA, thanks to the international exposition of 1939. Unfortunately, with the upcome of WW2, we lost trace of some of his works of art. This is one of the reasons why as of today, finding and owning an item signed by Anzani is a fortune really out of the ordinary. Secondly, let’s talk about the enormous artistic value of this item.

THE CABINET:

It took us a lot of time and experts to fully restaurate it, in order to respect its greatness. The technique used on this bar cabinet is so unique that to this days, only Anzani could remake something like this. The doors are in parchment while the inlays are in different species of wood. It is really rare to find inlays made on parchment (goat skin), due to the difficulty to manipulate and work with this material. Everything about this bar cabinet is the result of a careful study and is handcrafted perfectly. Anzani fire signed it directly on the front part of the inlay (bottom left). Under the doors, there are three drawers that are also decorated on the outside, as you can see in the pictures. Also the legs are decorated with another special technique. Legs, drawers and profiles are in dyed solid walnut, while the top is in black glass. The insides are covered with mirrors, glass shelves, maple and working lights. The original function of this item was in fact to contain and display fine liquor bottles. In addiction to being extremely beautiful and to be able to enrich and become protagonist of any room in which it is put, it can become part of the collection of Art Deco estimators and collectors.