Carlo Bugatti — Visionary Italian Furniture Designer and Creator of the Abyssinian Throne

Carlo Bugatti was born in Milan in 1856 and belonged to the famous Bugatti family: the father of automotive genius Ettore Bugatti and the grandfather of sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti. Carlo himself, however, worked not with machines but with space, furniture, and the ritual of interiors. His style is impossible to confuse with anyone else's. He combined Art Nouveau, Moorish influences, Japanese art, Symbolism, Islamic geometry, theatrical scenography, and an almost shamanic eccentricity of form.

Carlo Bugatti's furniture looks as if it arrived from an alternative civilization. His famous curule chairs, for example, were often constructed from parchment, ebonized wood, copper, brass, painted timber, leather inserts, tassels, and decorative pendants.

The construction itself sometimes deliberately defied conventional furniture logic. His chairs appear simultaneously as thrones, musical instruments, and architectural objects. This is particularly evident in the famous Abyssinian Collection. The best-known piece of this collection was the "Abyssinian Throne", a unique and highly refined seat distinguished by its tall backrest and elaborate decorative elements.

Carlo Bugatti's throne proved to be so timeless that, more than a century after its creation, it found a natural place within the aesthetics of science fiction. This is precisely why Ridley Scott used a Bugatti chair in the film "Alien: Covenant" (2017), where it became part of the sterile futuristic environment of the Weyland Corporation. The film opens with the synthetic David, portrayed by Michael Fassbender, seated on what resembles a throne — a chair designed by Carlo Bugatti. David speaks with his creator, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), discussing design, culture, and works of art displayed throughout the futuristic white room, including this remarkable chair.

Most importantly, Bugatti did not create isolated objects but entire atmospheres. For him, the interior was almost a religious stage. In this sense, he was closer to Wagner and the Symbolists than to an industrial designer. What is equally fascinating is how contemporary many of his works still appear. Some seem as though they were created during the eras of Art Deco, Postmodernism, or even contemporary parametric design, despite the fact that Bugatti was working at the end of the nineteenth century.

The characteristic elements of Carlo Bugatti's artistic language can be divided into several categories:

Interior By Carlo Bugatti

The Snail Shell room at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts in Turin, in 1902.

The Cobra Chairs of Carlo Bugatti

Carlo Bugatti, Pair of Cobra chairs, painted parchment, wood and patinated copper, circa 1902, Estimate £150,000–250,000

Throne Chair

By Carlo Bugatti, circa 1902, executed by A. De Vecchi & Co, Milan walnut, hand-painted vellum, pewter, brass, copper, embossed copper, silk with a metal label impressed FABB. ITAL. MOBILI ARTISTICI/A. DE VECCHI & C./GIA C. BUGATTI & C./MILANO, 56 x 21½ x 19 in. (142.3 x 54.6 x 48.3 cm), Estimate 15,000 - 20,000 USD

Vanity Room By Carlo Bugatti

We have no information about the current location.

Peacock Tail Bedroom

Purchased by a Milanese family at the end of the Exhibition, it remained unseen for 118 years.

Today, the works of Carlo Bugatti can be found in some of the world's most prestigious museums:

• Musée d'Orsay,
• Metropolitan Museum of Art,
• Victoria and Albert Museum.

Original Carlo Bugatti furniture pieces regularly appear at major international auctions and may achieve prices of several hundred thousand euros. High-quality replicas can also command values in the tens of thousands.

Carlo Bugatti designed furniture the way others create myths. His chairs, tables, and thrones appear as artifacts of a lost civilization, mysteriously rediscovered in the future. This is precisely why, more than a century later, they continue to fascinate collectors, architects, designers, and artists throughout the world.

Gostev's

Some pieces of furniture are created for comfort. Others become part of culture. The Carlo Bugatti Throne belongs firmly to the latter category.

Authentic Carlo Bugatti thrones have long since become museum pieces and highly sought-after collector's items. Most surviving examples are held in private collections or major museums around the world. Their value at international auctions can reach hundreds of thousands of euros, making the acquisition of an original virtually unattainable even for many serious collectors.

At the same time, interest in Carlo Bugatti's work continues to grow. His celebrated "Abyssinian Throne" remains one of the most recognizable masterpieces of the Art Nouveau period and is widely regarded as a work of art capable of becoming the centerpiece of an interior, gallery, exhibition space, villa, boutique hotel, or private collection.

In Sardinia, we collaborate with the exceptional Italian master woodworker Marco Loi, who specializes in the creation of complex artistic furniture pieces. Based on historical photographs, surviving dimensions, and archival documentation, it is possible to create a high-quality replica of the Carlo Bugatti Throne, crafted with the utmost respect for the original design, proportions, and artistic vision of the master.

Each project is executed individually, with my personal involvement in the development of artistic elements and decorative details. Dimensions, wood species, finishes, ornamental features, and materials may all be adapted to suit the future interior and the client's preferences. The goal of such work is not merely to produce a copy, but to faithfully recreate one of the most remarkable objects of European decorative art from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Gostev Jr.

If you would like to commission a high-quality Carlo Bugatti Throne replica, please contact us using the inquiry form.