Diego Giacometti (1902-1985)

Diego's earliest stone sculptures, dating from 1935, depict animal motifs, lions and serpents among them. His fondness for their playful forms dominates his oeuvre, their selection frequently suited to the commission: "each...led to a new creation, or at the very least a new combination of parts or a variation in format or decoration: even the replicas have distinct differences" (D. Marchesseau, op. cit., p. 20).

The present and following tables, acquired directly from the artist by Californian businessman and collector Justin Dart and gifted to the family of the present owner shortly thereafter, are adorned with complementary figures--the first with stags and dogs, the second, owls and frogs.

The double signature on the present lot is relatively common. As Daniel Marchesseau writes, "[works were] signed at the foundry according to the sample submitted by the artist. Because of this, some pieces of furniture may bear several signatures. The most remarkable example of this phenomenon is a table [formerly belonging] to James Lord that bears, either inadvertantly or as a joke, four signatures" (ibid., p. 189).