Nicolas Aubagnac
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ORION
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Inspired by Italian Renaissance cabinets
Ebony, king of the woods
Like those cabinets of yesteryear, the Orion cabinet is presented as a chest covered in precious wood resting on a sculpted base.
The base is made of polished and waxed Gabonese ebony. This wood is so hard and smooth that it could be mistaken for bronze; in fact, this is why it can be polished like a metal to make it shine.
Each piece of this base is faceted like a jewel.
The "chest" is covered with plaques of white ebony from Laos, a rare wood that forms imaginary calligraphic patterns.
The interior of the cabinet consists of three drawers and a secretary desk lined with Bubinga, a fragrant exotic wood whose grain undulates like pleated silk…
The Orion cabinet is produced in 3 numbered copies and signed with the hot iron stamp characteristic of Nicolas Aubagnac's creations.
white ebony medallions from Laos
3 drawers in the lower section
L = 49.2 in | D = 15.75 in | H = 43.30 in
A rarity of nature
The Orion cabinet is adorned with medallions decorated with a rare and surprising wood: white ebony from Laos.
This albino wood is an exception of nature, therefore it cannot be cultivated.
It is only found by chance during logging operations, which shows how precious and difficult to source this wood is…
What makes it even more exceptional is that the part usable for marquetry is concentrated in the heart of the tree, the rest being veinless…
The Times, LUXX, 2011
FUTURE CLASSICS
«Ten leading lights of the design world tell Laura Lovett which products they love the most right now—things they firmly believe are set to become icons of age. »
In this article, David Collins, interior architect and designer chose Orion that he purchased for his own residence. After the designer's death, Orion was sold by Christie's. The final bid was three times the purchase price.
