Aldo Tura box in sculpted pear wood and bronze crab, 1940

This lidded box belongs to the rare early production of Aldo Tura, preceding the lacquered parchment barware for which his Milanese workshop became famous. The rounded, gently bulging body is hand-carved from solid pear wood, with a surface that features an organic play of small bumps and bulges that catch the light and give the piece a tactile, almost living quality. The wood is finished in a honey amber tone that reveals its fine, dense grain. The interior is carefully turned and hollowed out, while the domed lid is topped with an exceptionally modelled bronze crab — patinated, with accents of verdigris in its crevices — which serves both as a decorative motif and a practical handle. A sculptural and distinctive object that blurs the line between a functional box and a cabinet curiosity.