Diego Giacometti

The present “Oiseau” Console constitutes a superb illustration of Diego Giacometti’s mastery over both his craft and his medium of choice, bronze. Superbly proportioned, the console features a small bird facing a coupelle towards which he appears to be approaching, exemplifying the designer’s keen ability to capture both naturalistic motifs and narrative tension in his work. The beauty of the piece resides in its handsome composition and the harmonious coexistence of superb figurative elements immortalized in bronze. Giacometti enhanced the dynamism and texture of the scene with a beautifully nuanced patina, which is further complemented by a rich and tactile dark slate top. 

The console once belonged to Henri Samuel, the legendary decorator who befriended Giacometti in Paris in the late 1960s. The two men worked together on numerous occasions and Giacometti often supplied the tastemaker with furniture pieces for some of his most eminent commissions. Samuel designed spaces for an international and sophisticated clientele, including Doris Duke, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Rothschilds, the Vanderbilts, Susan and John Gutfreund, Jayne Wrightsman and the couturier Valentino Garavani, providing Giacometti’s creations with exceptional exposure. Samuel himself owned some of the designer’s most iconic forms, including a “Caryatides” Table as well as expressive consoles such as the present one. Indeed, a related version of the presented model, recently presented at auction, originated from the collection of Hubert de Givenchy.