PARIS.- PIASA's latest twice-yearly sale of Italian Design on Tuesday April 11 ran to nearly 250 lots, dating from the early 20th century down to the contemporary period. The prestigious collection of architect Roberto Baciocchi – combined with an ensemble of works carefully selected by PIASA, international leaders on the market for Italian Design – provoked fierce bidding from collectors in the room, on the phone or over the internet, yielding a premium-inclusive sale total of €2.1 million.
Gio Ponti's creations remain in high demand. The sale's top price of €104,000 went to his armchair (c.1949) with iconic curves (lot 119), while his 1955 brass and elm commode, from the Roberto Baciocchi Collection, raced to €55,900 (lot 28, est. €30,000-40,000).
Baciocchi's own designs exuded special appeal. His metal and lacquered wood cupboard fetched €22,100 (lot 22, est. €15,000-20,000), while a pair of velvet-upholstered sofas from his Cake series took €10,400 (lot 43). His private collection also included such historic pieces as a majestic Rhinoceros screen by François-Xavier Lalanne & Kazuhide Takahama, sold for €52,000 (lot 37), and a pair of 1955 metal Santiago chairs by Mathieu Matégot that made €31,200 (lot 44).
A pair of Ico Parisi coffee-tables in brass and lacquered wood, designed around 1960, pulverized estimate at €71,500 (lot 155, est. 10,000-15,000). Italian lighting also featured strongly, with Gino Sarfatti's colourful 2072 Jo-Jo hanging-lamp surging to a double-estimate €78,000 (lot 172, est. €30,000-50,000).
Highlights
• Lot 155 - Ico Parisi (1916-1996), paire de tables basses, laiton et bois laqué, date de création : vers 1960, h 40 × l 63 × p 32 cm...RESULT : 71 500 €, est : 10 000 / 15 000 €
• Lot 172 - Gino Sarfatti (1912-1985), modèle 2072 dit jo-jo, plafonnier, métal laqué, perspex et vipla, edition arteluce, date...RESULT : 78 000 €, est : 30 000 / 50 000 €
• Lot 28 - Gio Ponti (1891-1979), commode, orme et laiton, édition dassi - date de création : 1955, h 80 × l 100 × p 47 cm. RESULT : 55 900 € est : 30 000 / 40 000 €
• Lot 37 - François-Xavier Lalanne & Kazuhide Takahama, Rhinocéros, série Ultramobile
paravent - date de création : 1976, h 220 × l 250 × p 2 cm. RESULT : 52 000 €, est : 30 000 / 40 000 €
• Lot 44 - Mathieu Matégot (1910-2001), santiago, paire de fauteuils, métal, date de création : 1955, h 74 × l 53 × p 86 cm. RESULT : 31 200 € est : 25 000 / 30 000 €
• Lot 43 - Roberto Baciocchi, série cake, sofa - velours et bois, prototype - date de création : 2011, h 70 × l 170 × p 55. RESULT : 10 400 € est : 5 000 / 7 000 €
• Lot 22 - Roberto Baciocchi, armoire en métal et bois laqué, pièce unique, date de création : 2016, h 245 × l 135 × p 45 cm. RESULT : 22 100 € est : 15 000 / 20 000 €
