A rare ‘Vinca Major’ dining table by Alessandro Mendini, a central figure in Italy’s Radical design movement and Postmodernism, will lead Roseberys’ first Design auction of 2026, with an estimate of £15,000-£20,000. 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 Museum Market series belongs to this experimental context, where furniture is conceived as a collectible design object rather than a purely functional product. Within this body of work, Mendini transformed furniture into vivid, sculptural artworks. The table combines hand-painted wood with lacquered fiberglass legs, reflecting his 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.
Born in Milan in 1931, Mendini created unrestrained, deeply personal works that redefined 20th century Italian design and architecture. He was a significant figure in Italy’s Radical design movement in the 1960s and 1970s and later Postmodernism. His intellectual approach to design prioritised the decorative, the playful and the distinct, freeing practitioners from the rigid functionalism of 20th century modernism and industrial design processes.
In 2024, Mendini was the subject of major retrospectives at Triennale Milano and the Fondation Cartier. Roseberys previously sold his iconic Poltrona di Proust armchair in 2024 for £14,432.
“Mendini’s Vinca Major table exemplifies his postmodern design philosophy through its bold colouration, unconventional material combinations and artistic approach to furniture form. Produced by an experimental gallery committed to bridging design, art and theory, it reasserts Mendini’s belief that design objects have an emotional function. We are delighted to offer such a rare and unusual object at auction,” says Nigel Dawson-Ellis, Head of Design.
Gilbert William Bayes (1872-1953) for Royal Doulton, Two large blackbird post finials, circa 1930s
Two extraordinary post finials, created by Gilbert William Bayes in the 1930s, will be offered at £10,000-£20,000. Part of a larger series, these rare survivals were commissioned by the St Pancras Housing Improvement Society. The society set out to regenerate the area of Somers Town, a notoriously poor area of London, replacing slum housing with affordable low rise flats. On the Sidney Street Estate, Gilbert Bayes brought art into everyday life. As part of the re-development, Bayes' finial designs were used to adorn communal court yards and washing line posts, with larger examples used as garden ornaments, bringing elements of high end design into everyday living. It is thought that one Estate displayed several blackbird finials around a central pie, in reference to the British nursery rhyme. They were previously sold at Christies in 2013, and from then until now they were held in the private collection of Nina Miller.
Aldo Tura (1909-1963), Large desk with bank of drawers and shelved desk, circa 1960
Aldo Tura was an Italian artist-craftsman who began designing and producing furniture in the 1930s. Known for an experimental approach, he worked with an unusually broad range of materials, including eggshell, parchment, leather and veneered wood. His furniture is widely admired for its exceptional craftsmanship, a quality closely linked to his small-scale production methods, which in some cases extended only to unique or prototype pieces. Tura’s work is particularly identifiable through its distinctive use of leather, often goatskin, combined with bronze detailing and a bold palette. While working in the aftermath of Art Deco, with its emphasis on straight lines and geometry, Tura departed from strict formalism in favour of more fluid lines and freer forms. During the 1950s, his output evolved further, incorporating hand-painted furniture decorated with architectural motifs and Venetian landscape scenes.
Pair of monumental wall appliques from the central concourse of Linz station, circa 1946/48
These lights are two of twenty five original wall appliques, which were installed across the two main concourses of Linz station, in Austria, when it was reconstructed following the second world war by American occupying forces.
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