''My life as a man is identified with my life as an architect.''
—Carlo Graffi — By Fulvio Ferrari, Founder of Museo Casa Mollino in Turin, ItalyIt is impossible to mention Carlo Graffi without acknowledging his profound connection to Carlo Mollino. The lifelong friendship and professional collaboration between these two prominent Turinese architects lasted throughout their lives. Together, they designed the Chamber of Commerce of Turin, a recognised masterpiece of engineering, and the Teatro Regio of Turin, a landmark of architectural ingenuity.
In 1951, a pivotal year for Graffi, he not only designed the present dining table but also conceived the Carro di Fuoco (Chariot of Fire) an extraordinary advertisement vehicle featuring dragonfly-like aesthetics and aerodynamic lines. During this significant period of his career, Graffi's innovative work garnered widespread attention, including two publications in Domus. The same year, Gio Ponti offered an insightful portrayal of his talent, characterising Graffi as an architect with an extraordinary sensitivity to form, colour, tools, materials and the language of mechanics: ''Mechanical functionality is brought to a beauty of form that does not betray mechanics but rather represents the perfection of mechanics itself, making it pure and essential. There is elegance, energy, tension, a snap, the interplay of views from every angle, the interplay of transparency: it is a spectacle in all dimensions, in all the uses of light; it is a total architecture, with every element designed, every detail invented, from top to bottom, with enthusiasm, free from timidity or convention.''
The Carro di Fuoco (Chariot of Fire) advertising vehicle at the 'Fiera Campionaria' of Milan, 1952.
Image: © Archivio Storico Fondazione Fiera MilanoThough Ponti's words describe the Carro di Fuoco, they resonate perfectly with Graffi's remarkable dining table. Crafted with a combination of plywood, polished brass rods, and tempered glass, this unique piece—commissioned for the home of an industrialist—stands as one of the most fascinating artifacts of 20th-century design. Its publication in Domus and its pristine condition further underscore its value as an essential museum piece, showcasing Graffi's brilliant craftsmanship and timeless vision.
Provenance
M. T. family, Turin
Private collection, TurinLiterature
Carlo Graffi, 'Una casa a Torino', Domus, no. 256, March 1951, illustrated p. 25
18
Unique dining table
circa 1951
Oak, birch-veneered plywood, glass, brass.
79.9 x 160 x 91 cm (31 1/2 x 62 7/8 x 35 7/8 in.)
Executed by Apelli & Varesio, Turin, Italy. Glass acid-etched VITREX.
Estimate
£18,000 - 24,000 ‡
Sold for £20,320
Antonia King
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Antonia.King@phillips.com
Design
London Auction 13 November 2024
