1stDibs review
my review
Sarcophagus Bedside Table in sculpted ceramics and wood
By Jeff Martin. Some seriously captivating stuff on his website. I like when patchwork is used outside of textiles. Ceramics and wood are so naturally compatible, texture / colour-wise. I wish I saw them used in tandem more often. Really stylish asymmetrical off-kilter tiling giving it an almost primitive feel, like it’s made with old restored Mesopotamian roofing tiles. It’s something you’d see in some fictional 3rd millennium B.C. bronze age culture, recovered from an archaeological dig in a Mediterranean proto-city. I like the worldbuilding.
Authentic Jangada Chair & Ottoman by Jean Gillon for WoodArt
I’ve always wanted to sit in one of these. Could die in this chair. Credited as a “rare example of Brazilian modernism at its finest” although Jean Gillon is, ostensibly, Romanian.1 Confirmed authentic piece, I’d kill for it. Please give me money.
I have a memory of reading about this chair from some Taschen book but I can’t find it. If you know, let me know. Maybe I was molested whilst reading 1000 Chairs and my brain created a false memory. Inspired by Brazilian fishing vessels. So sick. I’d even settle for a reproduction. It’s very comely. I don’t like the patina on the leather, I don’t care that “its creases, stitching, and texture have aged naturally over six decades, in a way no reproduction can ever capture.” It would look better restored.
Nemo Escargot Floor Lamp in Brass by Le Corbusier
Thought this was some sort of wood for a minute but it’s cast brass. Very gentle. Anodized aluminum reflector. Designed by Le Corbusier for the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille.2 Sort of an ugly building to be honest. Probably cooler when it was first built. This lamp’s too kind for such a mean building.
Should I pay $25,160 for a floor lamp? Let me know.
1930s French Hendaye Armchair by Pierre Dariel
Lovely silhouette. Good angles. And French! Beautiful cane weaving, very 30s. Consistent in its language. Really clean condition, too. Fold-able into three different positions. How perverted.
Snake Skin Covered Coffee Table after a Design by Pierre Legrain
Schizophrenic. Why the fuck would you make this? I think it would make me sick if I had it in my house. I don’t want my things touching it. I like this in the same way that I might appreciate the careful and methodical work of a serial killer. Some other snake skin obsessives, more tasteful maybe: Evan Lobel, Karl Springer
Rare Parchment and Copper Mirror by Carlo Bugatti
Carlo Bugatti has never made a single ugly object. So fun. Each of the little embossed corners are unique, it’s all wonky, there’s this alternating triangular inlay pattern around the rim of the mirror. I like walnut. Pretty parchment. I’d love to write a book on the life of Carlo Bugatti and his work. If anyone knows any good in-depth sources please let me know. I can only ever find tidbits.
The Juggler Movable Porcelain Antique Figurative Statement Sculpture
Beautifully painted, especially on the torso. Apparently it moves but there’s no video of it moving on the 1stDibs listing. I want to see it move. I think it would frighten me. I like his fucked up hair. What an enchanting little fellow.
Antique Chinese Moulded Porcelain 18 Arhats Luohan Snuff Bottle Qing Late 18c
I’ve learned the word Fencai.3 I have never heard of the Eighteen Arhats until now. You’d think it would be a little disrespectful to use something with religious imagery for storing snuff. What do I know though, I’m not enlightened. I love the colours. Very tropical. Asian pottery is so good. Long live the Qianlong Emperor.
Antique Dutch Silver large Windmill figural Spoon
Nauseatingly detailed. The windmill rotates and I think that’s wonderful. Probably a nightmare to clean and polish. Everyone’s meal should be made whimsical by such a utensil. This spoon sent me on a rabbit hole through an obscure silver forum.4 Take a look if you want.
most of my time is spent surrounded by empty cans in front of the glow of my computer screen so when i browse 1stdibs it’s with the same horror as a nigerian toddler with kwashiorkor watching a fat vice journalist eat catering out of a press van. however my mind palace is glorious and opulent. in the coming days when human beauty is outlawed i shall sit crosslegged in my pod using the method of loci to take myself back to this moment, browsing 1stdibs on my computer while listening to griselda, the smell of spearmint vape juice and empty redbull cans, and smile widely. they cannot torture me because one cannot torture Pentelic marble. i am satisfied.
https://carpentersworkshopgallery.com/artists/jean-gillon/
https://www.nemolighting.com/product/escargot/
https://www.felicityaylieff.com/fencai#:~:text=Fencai%20is%20an%20over%2Dglaze,%2C%20means%20%27soft%20colours%27.
https://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46417
the unite d’habitation in marseille is a lovely and warm and happy building full of sunlight. btw
God I need to start trinketmaxing again; I need to be indiana jones; I need relics