Kofod Larsen / Sibast? Rosewood sideboard coming from Italy ID help  

I don't know who designed it but I can tell you it is not Scandinavian and it is not made of rosewood.

I'd guess It is most likely of Italian origin.

Hello Howard,

as I wrote the color in pictures is poor, the professional restorer who repaired a leg told me that he thought it was teak, but working on the wood he saw that it is actually rosewood.

I was thinking about Sibast because it was quite common to find their pieces in Italian houses, because of the De Padova connection. Which elements make you think it is not possibly Sibast/Larsen?

Many thanks!

It is definitely not Kofod Larsen for Sibast. There is no evidence anywhere that Kofod Larsen designed for Sibast at all. And there is a lot of documentation out there on Sibast.

I very, very strongly doubt it is Sibast. The construction does not look right. The assumptions it would take to get this piece to fit with Sibast are beyond the ad absurdum threshold.

Beyond the fact that the handles bear some resemblance to Arne Vodder's Sibast handles, I don't think there is anything that even suggests it is Scandinavian, as Howard said. The feet look like Italian design to me.

It is hard to tell what the wood is from the photos, but I will tell you that I know plenty of people who might be described as "professional restorers" who can't reliably tell the difference between rosewood, teak, afrormosia, and walnut, and some of the less used exotics out there, even in person, so that isn't necessarily a meaningful data point.

Ok, thank you both! No Sibast and no Vodder, I'll go back to searching into Italian designers.

About the restorer, this one is very qualified and works with some of the most important design galleries in Milan, the ones doing Art Basel and similar fairs, so I trust his experience, he had a lot of masters through his hands. But yes, I definitely agree that many restorers can't be trusted on this point!

Aside of this, just for curiosity: I didn't know that there was no evidence that Vodder designed for Sibast. So there is even no evidence that the "famous" Sibast model 29A was designed by Vodder? Good to know, thanks again!

There is all sorts of documentation that Arne Vodder designed lots of pieces for Sibast. He was Sibast primary designer through the era.

Ib Kofod Larsen never had anything to do with Sibast.

And there are maybe a few Sibast made designs out there that are not accounted for and documented, but not many. I can't think of one mystery Sibast piece off the top of my head, so there isn't much room for speculation in the Sibast canon.