Unique Osvaldo Borsani Highboard in Cherry with Flora and Fauna Motifs
About the Item
- Creator:Osvaldo Borsani (Designer),Arredamenti Borsani (Workshop/Studio)
- Dimensions:Height: 70.87 in (180 cm)Width: 86.62 in (220 cm)Depth: 22.64 in (57.5 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftspeople in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. Check ‘About the item’ or ask our design specialists for detailed information on the condition.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:
Osvaldo Borsani
With his stylish and technically innovative furniture, Osvaldo Borsani helped change the face of Italian design in the 1950s and ’60s. His sofas and chairs, featuring deeply upholstered seating and adjustable position settings, have an aura of optimism and efficiency that still seems fresh and lively today.
Born in the commune of Varedo in northern Italy’s Lombardy region, Borsani studied at the Brera Academy in Milan — the same school attended by such luminaries as designer Piero Fornasetti and artist Lucio Fontana — as well as the Polytechnic University of Milan. Borsani first worked for his father’s furniture-making firm, Arredamenti Borsani, an atelier influenced by the more expressive and curvaceous wing of Art Deco design.
By 1953, when, along with his twin brother, Fulgenzio — the pair also created this visionary mid-century villa — Borsani opened the furniture company Tecno, his design sensibilities had evolved toward furnishings with strong, simple forms enhanced by mechanical innovations, as with the P40 adjustable armchair. Borsani would be the firm’s lead designer for 30 years, while fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo De Carli, Robin Day and others.
Similar to Gio Ponti in the earliest years of his career, Borsani first created designs marked by lush and buoyant lines: tables with voluptuous curved legs, sofas with undulating backrests.
But Borsani’s best-known and most novel pieces date from Tecno’s initial furniture lines: the adjustable D70 sofa, which folds open to make a daybed, and the P40 recliner. The latter — now included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum — is an articulated lounger with a back, seat and leg rest that can be moved into 486 different positions. Not only is it extremely comfortable, it is also enduringly chic.
Find a collection of vintage Osvaldo Borsani tables, dining chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Waalwijk, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 10 days of delivery.
- Osvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo Highboard in CherryBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti BorsaniLocated in Waalwijk, NLOsvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, wardrobe, cherry, maple, glass, Italy, circa 1955. This elegant wardrobe, designed by the Italian designer Osvaldo Borsani for ABV A...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsCherry, Glass, Maple
- Charming Italian Highboard with Mirrors in CherryLocated in Waalwijk, NLWardrobe, cherry, mirrored glass, metal, Italy, 1950s This remarkable Italian armoire, crafted during the influential mid-century design era, stands as a testament to the period's b...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsMetal
- Unique Italian Highboard with Illuminated Interior in Mahogany and BrassBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAttributed to Paolo Buffa, wardrobe, mahogany, brass, mirrored glass, glass, Italy, 1950s The decorative elements, materials use, woodworking, and the overall composition suggest th...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Osvaldo Borsani Lounge Chairs in Walnut and Blue VelvetBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti BorsaniLocated in Waalwijk, NLOsvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, lounge chairs model 3615, walnut, velvet fabric, Italy, 1941 A design by Osvaldo Borsani, these chairs epitomize a harmonious fusion...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Osvaldo Borsani Lounge Chair in Walnut and Blue VelvetBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti BorsaniLocated in Waalwijk, NLOsvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, lounge chair model 3615, walnut, velvet fabric, Italy, 1941 A design by Osvaldo Borsani, this easy chair epitomizes a harmonious fus...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Rare Osvaldo Borsani Vanity Table in Maple with Mirrors and Built-in LightsBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti BorsaniLocated in Waalwijk, NLOsvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, dressing table, model '6142', maple, brass, mirrored glass, lacquered wood, Italy, 1943 An exquisite and truly exceptional vanity table designed by the Italian Osvaldo Borsani, dating back to around 1943. This rare gem encapsulates the quintessence of Borsani's design ethos: elegant and graceful proportions, fine materials, and unique constellations. Crafted from warm-toned maple, every detail speaks of refinement, from the intricately carved legs adorned with graphic white lines to the kidney-shaped top embellished with a mirrored surface, reflecting one's cherished objects with finesse. An outstanding element is the trio of individual rectangular mirrors with softly rounded contours, equipped with built-in lamps executed within a brass framework, their crown sockets gracefully encircling the lightbulbs. These mirrors are affixed to a maple panel punctuated by three characteristic holes, a signature touch of Borsani. A discreet drawer offers practical storage while maintaining the table's sleek aesthetic. In every aspect, this table attests to Borsani's masterful ability to strike the perfect balance between the orante elegance of Art Deco and the daring approach towards materiality and streamlined functionality of Modernism. Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985) was an Italian designer and architect, raised by a family of fine furniture makers in Varedo. At the age of 16, he joined his father’s furniture shop, the Atelier di Varedo, which was fully engaged in designing and furnishing homes inspired by the Italian Art Deco movement. The designer of the atelier was the Italian architect Gino Maggioni (1898-1955) who was known for his Viennese Jugendstil orientation of the early 20th century. In the 1930s, he graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and Politecnico di Milano, where he studied Fine Arts and Architecture respectively. In 1932, the family company was renamed ‘Arredamenti Borsani’ and opened its first studio in Milan. During this period, he encountered Avant-Garde artists of various artistic disciplines like Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), Agenore Fabbri (1911-1998), Aligi Sassu (1912-2000), Roberto Crippa (1921-1972), Fausto Melotti (1901-1986), Arnaldo Pomodoro (1926-) and Giò Pomodoro (1930-2002). These collaborations resulted in the creation of furniture and interior design projects with a high-level of craftsmanship and artistry. In 1953, Borsani founded together with his twin brother Fulgenzio Borsani ‘Tecno’, a design and manufacturing company that produced items based on mechanical innovations and refined technicality. The ‘P40’ adjustable lounge chair (1953) has become the ideological manifesto of Borsani's Tecno program, and still remains the best known, exemplary piece in the Tecno catalogue. Other iconic works that were produced by Tecno were created by Gio Ponti (1891-1979), Vico cham...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Vanities
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Century Osvaldo Borsani Two Mirrored Doors Closet with Lights for ABV, 40sBy Osvaldo Borsani, Atelier Borsani VaredoLocated in Turin, TurinOsvaldo Borsani in 1953, together with his brother Fulgenzio, realized his most complex project: a company idea named after the "techne" of the Greeks, which means both art and techn...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- Osvaldo Borsani CabinetBy Arredamenti Borsani, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in New York, NYDrinks Cabinet, Model No. 6534B by Osvaldo Borsani for ABV. Mahogany, painted wood, maple, glass, brass. Arredamenti Borsani Varedo edition. This cabinet features 2 front doors that retract into the cabinet revealing a lit interior with mirrored back, 2 glass shelves, 1 pull out wood shelf and 4 lower drawers. Door front painting by Marcello Piccardo.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Wardrobe Maple Feather Attributed to Borsani Osvaldo, Italy, Approx 1950By Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Biella, ITVintage Wardrobe Maple Feather attributed to Borsani Osvaldo, Italy, approx 1950, very good condition A. Measure; length 96 inches x height 73" x 24" deep.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
- Osvaldo Borsani Cherry Wood Mirrored Bar Cabinet for Abv, 1940By Arredamenti Borsani, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Paris, IDFA rare Osvaldo Borsani bar cabinet (mobile bar) produced by Arredamenti Borsani Varedo in Milano in the mid-1940s. It features a body in ch...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood, Cherry
- Pair of wooden wardrobes model system E22, by Osvaldo Borsani, Italy, 1960sBy Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Milano, ITPair of wooden wardrobes model system E22, by Osvaldo Borsani, Italy1960s . Beautiful pair of one door wall wardrobe with black painted metal posts and wooden cabinet. Upright hei...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsMetal
- Wooden Wardrobe in the syle of Arredamenti Borsani Varedo from the 1950sBy Arredamenti BorsaniLocated in Roma, RMWooden wardrobe in the style of Arredamenti Borsani Varedo from the 1950s Product details Wooden cabinet with tempera decoration. Dimensions: cm 194H×221L×62D.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass