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Carlo Bugatti

Italian, 1856-1940

Imaginative, bold and full of poetic details, the work of Carlo Bugatti pushed the boundaries of the Art Nouveau style. The Italian furniture designer and decorative artist’s celebrated chairs, tables and other pieces are representative of a range of influences that include European Gothic, Moorish traditions and classical Japanese art. Bugatti’s appetite for experimentation with new forms and materials has fueled the imaginations of designers everywhere.

Bugatti was born in 1856 in Milan. The son of successful interior decorator, sculptor and architect Giovanni Bugatti, Carlo set out to follow in his father’s footsteps, studying architecture at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and working as a cabinetmaker. He moved to Paris in 1875 to continue his studies in design at the prestigious Academie des Beaux-Arts. By the early 1880s, Bugatti had moved back to Milan to continue his career in furniture design.

Antique Bugatti seating, center tables and other large furnishings are visually striking in their level of ornamentation. These works feature hand-carved motifs and were frequently inlaid with luxury materials such as mother-of-pearl, ebony and brass — his distinctive Throne chair (ca. 1900), for example, featured pierced copper and vellum. Detailed themes rooted in nature, stencils and geometric patterns adorn his venturesome decorative screens and handcrafted mahogany and walnut chairs and tables.

In 1888, the designer displayed his work publicly for the first time, showcasing pieces at the Industrial Arts Exhibition in Milan and later at the Italian Exhibition in London. His flamboyant furniture led to his becoming an overnight success among members of the aristocracy, who flooded him with commissions to design custom furniture for their homes. In 1904, Bugatti and his family moved to France, where designed furniture for department stores such as Maison Dufayel and Le Bon Marché. His two sons also pursued work in design — Rembrandt Bugatti became a noted sculptor while Ettore gained renown as a leading automobile designer and manufacturer.

Although his furniture became increasingly subdued in appearance over the years — and he would eventually begin to design serveware and jewelry — Bugatti garnered acclaim throughout his career. He received an award at the 1900 Paris Exposition and exhibited interiors and a furniture collection at the inaugural International Exposition of Modern Decorative Arts in Turin, Italy, in 1902. Today, Bugatti’s work remains on permanent display at the Musée de la Chartreuse in Molsheim, France.

Find antique Carlo Bugatti seating, tables and case pieces on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$9,498
Styles
Materials
20th Century, Carlo Bugatti Wooden Wall Mirror 1900
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Turin, Turin
Many of Carlo Bugatti's superior pieces have been commissioned by some of the Royal Houses of Europe, by some of the great estates of America and Europe, and by some of the most succ...
Category

Early 1900s Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Metal, Copper

Carlo Bugatti Mirrored Hall/Hat Stand with Mother of Pearl, Silver, & Bone Inlay
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Art Nouveau narrow hall / hatrack stand having a walnut & ebonized wood frame with pewter & pearl inlay and a shaped inSet full-length mirror,with elaborate columns and cente...
Category

20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Metal, Silver

Rare Walnut Copper and Parchment Side Chair by Carlo Bugatti.
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare carved walnut side chair by Carlo Bugatti upholstered with parchment and inlaid with pewter details and mounted with hammered copper decoration. Beauty & Mischief: The Design Al...
Category

Early 1900s Italian Aesthetic Movement Antique Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Walnut

Rare and Important Orientalist Corner Cabinet by Carlo Bugatti
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Montreal, QC
Important and rare cabinet by Carlo Bugatti, (1856-1940) . This exceptional cabinet of asymmetrical design is made of intricately carved and ebonized walnut inlaid with pewter, bone and copper, partially covered with parchment. It is fitted with drawers, shelves and multiple display cabinets.The central section features three orientalist scenes ink on vellum .Carlo Bugatti was a famous designer active at the turn of the century. His pieces are rare and highly prized. He was the father of Rembrandt Bugatti who was a renowned sculptor, his work is also highly valuable and very rare since he died at 32. Ettore...
Category

Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Wood

19th Century Italian Display Cabinet By Carlo Bugatti c.1890
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
An exceptionally rare 19th Century display cabinet by the distinguished Carlo Bugatti, a prominent Italian designer celebrated for his influential contributions to the Art Nouveau mo...
Category

20th Century Italian Victorian Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Copper

Important and Rare Original circa 1900 Carlo Bugatti Occasional Table Ebonized
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this exceptionally rare and important original circa 1900 Carlo Bugatti occasional table This table is special, designed by Carlo Bugatti, Italy around 1900, it’s a rectangular walnut occasional or centre table, partly ebonized, with floral inlays made of pewter, the legs partially covered with copper sheet, the tabletop covered with goatskin, this table was exhibited at the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, 2001 Carlo Bugatti (2 February 1856-April 1940) was an Italian decorator, designer and manufacturer of Art Nouveau furniture, models of jewelry, and musical instruments. Bugatti was born 2 February 1856 in Milan, in what would remain until 1859 the kingdom of Lombardy: he died in Molsheim, France. Biography: Son of Giovanni Luigi Bugatti, a specialist in interior decoration, Carlo studied firstly at the Brera Academy in Milan, and subsequently, from 1875, at the Académie des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1880 he started to manufacture furniture in Milan, later transferring to France. From 1888 he began to be successful beyond Italy. Nevertheless, till 1904 he maintained a Milan workshop in the city's Via Castelfiardo 6. He was also, like his father, trained as an architect, but there is no evidence that any of his architectural designs were ever executed. He triumphed at the exhibition of decorative art in Turin in 1902 and returned to Paris in 1904. Father of sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti and automobile manufacturer Ettore Bugatti, he moved in 1910 to Pierrefonds where he established an atelier. From 1914-1918 he was nominated mayor of the village, and the outspoken anti-German industrialist Adolphe Clément-Bayard, who lived at the Domaine du Bois d'Aucourt, entrusted its upkeep to him. From then on, he devoted himself entirely to painting. After the suicide of his son Rembrandt in 1916, Bugatti, then 60, produced less, but he remained influential. In 1935, at the age of 79, he retired near his son Ettore's family in Alsace. He settled in a flat north of Château Saint-Jean, Dorlisheim, with his wife Teresa (who died shortly afterwards), at the domain of promotion of Bugatti property of his son Ettore. He spent his last months at his apartment at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, where he frequented the workmen and the house of 'the Hardtmühle', living with Ettore and his family. In April 1940, he died at the hospital in Molsheim. He is buried in the Bugatti family cemetery at Dorlisheim. The Bugatti section of Molsheim's municipal Musée de la Chartreuse displays...
Category

Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Goatskin, Walnut

Rare Parchment and Copper Mirror by Carlo Bugatti
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare parchment and copper embossed mirror by Carlo Bugatti. inlaid with pewter brass and walnut.
Category

Early 1900s European Moorish Antique Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Parchment Paper

Carlo BUGATTI, Pair of Moorish-Style Wall Sconces
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This asymetric pair of wall sconces is quintessentially characteristic of Carlo Bugatti’s art, designed by him around 1888. Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940) trained at the Brera Academy in...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Moorish Antique Carlo Bugatti

Materials

Brass, Copper

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Carlo Bugatti Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2025$12,494Side ChairsFruitwood1910
2025$2,500PedestalsVelvet, Wood1920
2024$13,500ChairsLeather, WoodCa 1900
$9,498
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$2,500-$13,500
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Carlo Bugatti furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Carlo Bugatti furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Carlo Bugatti furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Carlo Bugatti were created in the Art Nouveau style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by and Carlo Zen. Prices for Carlo Bugatti furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $24,410 and can go as high as $185,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $48,691.

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