The standout lot of the auction was a rare ‘Vinca Major’ dining table by Alessandro Mendini. Following fierce bidding over the phones and online, it ultimately sold to a private collector in Latin America.

Produced in an edition of just twelve, this is only the third time one of the tables has appeared at auction, making it an exceptionally desirable example from one of the pioneers of the Italian avant-garde of the late twentieth century. The table was produced in circa 1992 in collaboration with Design Gallery Milano as part of the Museum Market series.

Founded as an alternative to industrial production, Design Gallery Milano worked closely with pioneering designers to publish limited editions that prioritised conceptual exploration over mass manufacture.

The table combines hand-painted wood with lacquered fibreglass legs, reflecting Mendini’s embrace of colour, ornament and surface over industrial minimalism. Geometric motifs and bold hues foreground visual play, while the juxtaposition of planar and volumetric forms creates a visual tension characteristic of postmodern design.

Nigel Dawson-Ellis

Head of Design at Roseberys

“The continued strength of Italian mid-century and post-modern design reflects collectors’ growing appreciation for a period in which designers transformed the relationship between creativity and industry. Figures such as Gio Ponti and Alessandro Mendini pushed the boundaries of form and material while working with forward-thinking manufacturers to bring experimental ideas into production. As collectors increasingly look to design that sits between functional object and collectible artwork, the strong results across the sale demonstrate international demand for these highly distinctive works.”

Three model ‘803’ lounge chairs, circa 1954, exemplify the golden age of Ponti’s collaboration with Cassina, whose partnership defined the optimistic modernism of post-war Italy. The set of chairs sold to a distinguished private collector in the UK.

During the 1950s Ponti designed over twenty chairs for Cassina, including the model 803 lounge chair. Their collaboration helped define post-war Italian design, combining Ponti’s pursuit of structural lightness and modern elegance with Cassina’s technical innovation to produce furniture that united traditional craftsmanship with industrial production.

One of Alessandro Pianon’s trademark 'Pulcino' Murano glass birds in textured dark orange with applied glass eyes and copper legs drew intense bidding before soaring over its estimate to realise a price of £6,298. The birds were produced for the Venetian glass-making firm Vistosi during the 1960s.

A lacquered vellum desk by Aldo Tura sold to a private UK buyer comfortably within estimate. Born in 1909, Tura began manufacturing his signature furniture in the 1930s, emphasising small-scale production of carefully crafted designs made using traditional artisanal techniques.

Tura often utilised unusual materials, including parchment, egg shell and goat skin. Although Aldo Tura often diverged from the austere language of Italian modernism through his use of richly decorative materials, this desk nevertheless operates within a modernist framework: its broad horizontal top, rectilinear supports and integrated storage emphasise clarity of structure and functional design.

Further highlights

In the studio pottery section, a ‘Still Life’ Tea Set by Steve Harrison realised a price of £4,461 - the second highest price for the ceramicist at auction. Conceived as both a functional ensemble and sculptural grouping, the set brings together material, ritual and process into a single cohesive work.

George Clarke

Studio Pottery Specialist at Roseberys

“This tea set captures Steve Harrison’s distinctive approach to studio pottery, where the functional object becomes a contemplative sculptural form, resolved through touch, repetition of use and time. The strong result reflects growing recognition of Harrison’s work and the wider appreciation of ambitious studio ceramics at auction.”

A cinematic ‘Kill Bill’ cocktail table in Homage to a Slow-Moving Bullet achieved a price of £7,872. Executed in polished metal, the dramatic ensemble reflects a cinematic and postmodern design language, with highly reflective biomorphic forms and elongated stools evoking the trajectory of projectiles.

Works to consign?

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