I originally posted this in the wrong section so here it is. Bent or molded rosewood tray-like top with brass base. The top is attached to the base via leather cord done in a fancy looking knot. No mark found. It has a Swedish vibe to me but that's a pure guess.
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Looks like an upcycle job to me, to be totally honest. Maybe it's the mix of level of finishes?
By that I mean, if a company had the means to produce metal work like that (that looks mass produced), and bent laminated items like the top, I'd not expect such rudimentary leatherwork, or a loose means to fasten the top to the base, nor such a primitive holes in the top (i.e there might be some sort of metalwork within the hole to prevent veneer flaking from movement).
I suspect it's laminated large plate, a separate base and some leather cord all fashioned together.
Looks like an upcycle job to me, to be totally honest. Maybe it's the mix of level of finishes?
By that I mean, if a company had the means to produce metal work like that (that looks mass produced), and bent laminated items like the top, I'd not expect such rudimentary leatherwork, or a loose means to fasten the top to the base, nor such a primitive holes in the top (i.e there might be some sort of metalwork within the hole to prevent veneer flaking from movement).
I suspect it's laminated large plate, a separate base and some leather cord all fashioned together.
Cool thanks for your feedback. It's interesting because I think the leatherwork is actually very unique and original looking and that knot work is not something a random average upcycle DIY person would be able to come up with so Im thinking on the opposite end of you on it being rudimentary. My only complaint design-wise is the leather knot not lining up with the three legs. I'm still leaning towards this piece being an original as opposed to being an upcycle piece but who knows you could be right. Thanks.
Minor comment, but doesn’t the leather knot design allow you to twist the top tray separately from the base so that the knot can be aligned with the legs? It seems to me that it started off aligned, then shifted off axis over the years.
Yes you are correct on that observation. I totally overlooked that and I will try to rotate so they all align. Thanks so much!
Minor comment, but doesn’t the leather knot design allow you to twist the top tray separately from the base so that the knot can be aligned with the legs? It seems to me that it started off aligned, then shifted off axis over the years.
Yes you are correct on that observation. I totally overlooked that and I will try to rotate so they all align. Thanks so much!
The knot being 'rudimentry' is not a comment on the craftsmanship involved in tying a knot (though let's be honest, even tying a complicated knot with leather straps is not beyond most humans, as long as you have enough leather strap and time to try).
It was more a commentary on the level of manufacturing required. That is to say, you tie a knot like that with your hands: Making it rudimentary.
You make a laminated plate like that with an expensive piece of machinery, partly to help automate an otherwise very tough (impossible, maybe) task on a large scale: Not rudimentary.
And that's the dichotomy in this piece I am pointing out which makes me think it's not original. I am also fully ready to be wrong. It was just my thought process. But I wanted to clarify I did not mean rudimentary as a sleight against the leatherwork, just that leather work is often rudimentary by nature.
The knot being 'rudimentry' is not a comment on the craftsmanship involved in tying a knot (though let's be honest, even tying a complicated knot with leather straps is not beyond most humans, as long as you have enough leather strap and time to try).
It was more a commentary on the level of manufacturing required. That is to say, you tie a knot like that with your hands: Making it rudimentary.
You make a laminated plate like that with an expensive piece of machinery, partly to help automate an otherwise very tough (impossible, maybe) task on a large scale: Not rudimentary.
And that's the dichotomy in this piece I am pointing out which makes me think it's not original. I am also fully ready to be wrong. It was just my thought process. But I wanted to clarify I did not mean rudimentary as a sleight against the leatherwork, just that leather work is often rudimentary by nature.
I think I get what you're saying about the knot, you're saying that the "idea" of marrying something that requires a machine to make like the laminated plate/tray to a hand-tied leather knot is out of character for a company to think of. That may be true but I think with designers and companies from the old days this knot would be thought of as a hand-crafted detail that would juxtapose nicely with the other machine-made elements. I guess for you this dichotomy is a giveaway that this piece was not made by a company but maybe this company was a "smaller" company that thought of little design details and that was their approach. This kind of "dichotomy" you are talking about, if well done, was not unheard of with older designs. Anyways it's interesting we both have a different take on that. Thanks for your input!
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