One of the most enigmatic and polarizing figures to emerge in Italian design, Aldo Tura is an outlier in the world of mid-century furniture. The designer’s glamorous bar carts, coffee tables, cabinets and more resist categorization and draw inspiration from Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, Surrealist and modernist styles.
Tura moved through distinct phases in his career in terms of aesthetics, influences and finishes, rendering his life’s work exciting and diverse. Despite these phases, he held a singular devotion to one material: lacquered goatskin. Tura established a furniture production house in 1939 in Lombardy, and some of his early work focused on tables, decorative lamps and more. He later expanded to bar furnishings like rolling carts, cabinets and complementary barware accessories like ice buckets and cocktail shakers. The eccentric, gleaming and luxe surface of lacquered goatskin was a constant, along with eggshell, parchment and leather.
By the 1950s, Tura had begun to use hand-painted figural panels on the surface of cabinets, serveware (such as carafes) and other pieces. He even replicated famous works by artists like Monet and Bruegel the Elder and art from the Middle Ages, sometimes playfully embedding the paintings on cabinets shaped like oversize books. Even though he had a favored color palette of rich chocolate browns and deep emeralds, his style remained consistently hard to define.
Tura was unlike most of his Italian contemporaries but held a similar reverence for the nation’s traditional craftsmanship and artisanal techniques. He never followed the growing trend of mass-produced, industrial furniture and stuck to creating small, meticulously handcrafted collections. This principled choice means that today, a Tura piece is a rare and highly coveted collectible. The Tura firm continues to operate in Brianza, promoting Italian craftsmanship and the eclectic materials embraced by their namesake designer.
Find authentic vintage Aldo Tura furniture today on 1stDibs.
Mid-century cream parchment cocktail set, Aldo Tura Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century cream parchment cocktail shaker and ice bucket Aldo Tura Italy 1950s The leather is not lacquered as Tura sets usually are in the later 60s productions but bare, very r...
Brass
Mid-century parchment Barware thermos, Aldo Tura, Macabo Italy early 1950s
By Macabo, Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century parchment Barware thermos Aldo Tura, Macabo Italy early 1950s Parchement, brass h 27 cm diam. 15 × 10 cm Conditions: excellent conditions consistent with age and use.
Brass
Mid-century cream parchment ice bucket, Aldo Tura Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century cream parchment ice bucket Aldo Tura Italy 1950s The leather is not lacquered as Tura sets usually are in the later 60s productions but bare, very rare to find in this ...
Brass
Mid-century cream parchment vase, Aldo Tura Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century cream parchment vase Aldo Tura Italy 1950s Leather, brass, copper h 30 cm diam. 24 cm Conditions: very good conditions consistent with age and use.
Silver Plate, Copper
Mid-century brown parchment ice bucket, Aldo Tura Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century brown parchment ice bucket Aldo Tura Italy 1950s h 23 cm - 19 × 19 cm Along with artists like Piero Fornasetti and Carlo Bugatti, Aldo Tura (1909-1963) definitely bel...
Metal
Mid-century barware thermos / carafes / jug, Italy 1950s
Located in Firenze, IT
Mid-century barware thermos / carafes / jugs Italy 1950s brass, faux tortoiseshell bakelite h 28 cm - 15 × 12.5 cm Conditions: excellent conditions consistent with age and use.
Brass
Aldo Tura Cocktail Shaker, Italy
Located in San Francisco, CA
Aldo Tura cocktail shaker, Italy Refined design made with high quality materials and attention to detail. In very good original condition, l...
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Italian Cocktail Shaker by Giovanni Alessi (FAO)
Located in Milano, IT
1960s Mid-century modern cocktail shaker manufactured in Omegna, Italy, by Fratelli Alessi (FAO - Fratelli Alessi Omegna). This cocktail shaker tapered silhouette crafted from high-g...
Stainless Steel
Mid-Century Parchment And Brass Jug By Aldo Tura, 1950s
By Aldo Tura
Located in Palermo, IT
Mid-Century parchment and brass jug by Aldo Tura, 1950s Complete and in good condition.
Brass
1970s Cocktail Shaker by Andrea Fontebasso, Italian Glass, Rare Design
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Gorgeous cocktail shaker by Andrea Fontebasso. Made in Italy. Signed on the bottom. The design of this cocktail shaker is amazing so rare to find it. It's in excellent conditio...
Stainless Steel
Italian Brass Cocktail Shaker, Mid-Century Modern Barware
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian cocktail shaker crafted in polished brass, dating to the mid-20th century. The piece features a refined tapered body with stepped rings near the neck and a classic fitted cap...
Brass
Art Deco Cocktail Shaker Made by C. G. Hallberg, 1930s
By C.G. Hallberg
Located in Bochum, NRW
C.G. Hallbergs Guldsmeds AB - a Swedish Silverplate Cocktail Shaker, Circa 1930 — Modernist Scandinavian Barware. An exceptional example of early 20th-century Scandinavian design, th...
Silver Plate
