On 18 December, the important Turin auction house Della Rocca will host its Winter Sale, dedicated to design. Recognised for years at both the Italian and international level for high-quality antiques – the founding brothers, Giacomo and Guglielmo Fiorio, are established antique dealers and art connoisseurs – this year Della Rocca has expanded their focus to modern design catalogues, offering collectors an array of sought-after pieces and big names.
The Winter Sale is the last auction of the year, and closes 2019 in grand style with 462 lots, each one more beautiful than the next. The catalogue is dominated by colour and elegance; each lot is refined yet modern and ideal for a variety of styles and tastes. We have selected some of the most interesting creations in the catalogue, inspired by the wintery atmosphere.
Cool, clear tones dominate in the wonderful Totem Claire de Lune by Ettore Sottsass, made of plastic laminate and white and blue ceramic. The Totems represent the designer's ease in moving between artistic and industrial production: this 10/29 specimen is from 1992, produced by Mirabili.
The lush green of the Digamma sofa by Ignazio Gardella is a shade that’s perfectly suited to the Christmas season but equally elegant all year long. A Gavina production from 1957, the sofa bears the label ‘Rai dotaz. Economato 205140’ and arrives directly from the Rai offices in Turin.
A complimentary red armchair designed by Carlo Mollino was created for the Auditorium Rai in Turin in the early fifties. Although the chair was originally site specific, the plush silhouette combined with clean metallic legs ensure that it will look at home in any sitting room.
Natural materials and warm colours were trademarks for Gianfranco Frattini, a leading name in design during the 1950s and sixties. Della Rocca offers a pair of wood and fabric armchairs made by Cassina in 1956, with details in brass and lacquered metal. In December 1959 the seats were published in Domus, which reflects the great value of the project. Frattini supplements the Della Rocca catalogue with sixteen creations in addition to the armchairs. True to form, each lot is characterised its use of materials such as wood, fabric, glass or leather.
Animal print is back in a big way, and there’s no more tasteful way to incorporate the style into your décor than with a wonderful dresser by Piero Fornasetti (lot 286-287). Made of wood and brass and hand-painted, these flagship lots were made in the 1990s based on a design from 1953. The proposal dedicated to Fornasetti has several lots, with estimates starting from €300 (£255). If anyone on your Christmas gift list is a lover of Italian design, you know where to look!
Gold, white and red give a touch of the holidays to the ultra-modern Stilnovo chandelier adorning Della Rocca's catalogue. Fifties design at its finest, the fixture is made of brass, metal and moulded glass.
Della Rocca's Winter Sale will be held on Wednesday 18 December in Turin, at the auction house on Via Della Rocca 33. If you happen to find yourself in Italy, the auction will be on display from 13-16 December.
![Irma Stern, ‘Three African Women’, signed and dated 1941, oil on canvas [detail]. Photo © Strauss & Co](https://images.prismic.io/barnebys/5747598d-fd38-4dd7-9990-2164a7931f80_Cover.jpg?auto=format,compress)
