Lorenzo Burchiellaro, side table, copper and stained beechwood, Italy, 1960s.

Master metalworker and sculptor Lorenzo Burchiellaro was a standout figure in 20th-century Italian furniture design. His vintage mid-century modern creations are part practical furniture, part statement-making sculpture, so much so that his wall mirrors, vases and coffee tables frequently resemble unearthed artifacts, owing to the meticulous craftsmanship for which he is known.

Burchiellaro is believed to have studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and the Istituto D'Arte P. Selvatico in Padua. He was a prolific designer from the 1950s through the 1970s, exhibiting at the Venice Biennale and elsewhere. 

Burchiellaro worked out of his eponymous firm, Studio Burchiellaro, where he enjoyed the freedom to use metals in novel and artistic ways. He employed a range of metals and alloys in his designs, including iron, bronze, zinc, pewter and copper, and relied on various techniques to bring out the materials’ rich details and to create organic textures on the tops of his tables and on the surfaces of the wide range of decorative objects he created. Each piece was as decorative as it was functional.

Find vintage Lorenzo Burchiellaro mirrors, decorative objects, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.