Afra Scarpa & Tobia Scarpa

AFRA SCARPA (1937-2011) and TOBIA SCARPA (1935) for Maxalto, Italy.
Artona sideboard, 1975
Walnut wood, with rosewood and ebony marquetry.
Front doors covered in black leather.
Interior with four doors and shelves.
Very good state of preservation.
Measurements: 72 x 180 × 45 cm.

Artona sideboard, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. The piece responds to the technical and formal refinement characteristic of the Artona series, one of the first lines developed by Maxalto, a firm linked to B&B Italia and oriented to a high quality production, with special attention to cabinetmaking and noble materials.

The structure has sober and architectural lines, made of walnut wood and enriched with rosewood and ebony marquetry. The contrast between the warmth of the wood and the rotundity of the front doors covered in black leather gives the piece a marked visual elegance. The small metal handles, with an organic design, introduce a distinctive detail within a composition of great balance.

The husband and wife team of Tobia and Afra Scarpa opened their studio in 1960. Throughout their career they collaborated with important Italian design firms, including Gavina, B&B Italia, Cassina and Meritalia. They received important awards, such as the Compasso d'Oro in 1969 and the International Forum Design in 1992.

Their designs are kept in important international museums, such as the MoMA in New York, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum -formerly the National Museum of Design-, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Louvre Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other institutions.