Overview
An exceptional hand-decorated insulated thermos carafe by Aldo Tura, made in Italy in the late 1950s. The tapered body is covered in emerald-green lacquered goatskin parchment and hand-painted with a golden profile of a crowned queen, finished with a brass pouring spout and a brass handle. The piece retains its original Tura label and model number and is documented in an original Aldo Tura archive photograph.
 
Description
This carafe represents Aldo Tura's celebrated barware at its most refined and pictorial.
The slender, tapering body is covered in lacquered goatskin parchment dyed a deep emerald green, with the translucent depth and fine grain typical of the material. On the front, a beautifully hand-painted golden figure depicts a crowned queen in profile, richly adorned with jewels and regal robes. An angled brass pouring spout crowns the top, while a shaped brass handle arcs from the side. The base retains the original green "Creazione Tura – Italy" foil label with the horseshoe emblem, together with the handwritten model number 1278.
 
Design & Function
Conceived as an insulated thermos carafe for serving drinks at the bar or table, it combines practicality with theatrical elegance: the brass spout pours, the handle gives a secure grip, and the insulated interior keeps liquids at temperature. Equally, it stands as a striking sculptural object on a bar cart, console or sideboard.
The pairing of regal gold decoration and deep green parchment makes it both a functional carafe and a genuine display piece.
 
Materials & Aesthetic
The carafe showcases Tura's signature pairing of lacquered goatskin parchment and brass, here elevated by the hand-painted golden figure. The luminous emerald parchment, the jewel-like gold decoration and the warm brass fittings combine into the theatrical, luxurious aesthetic that defines the best of Aldo Tura's production.
The parchment preserves a beautiful, luminous surface, with the natural variations, veining and minor signs of age inherent to the material.
 
Technical Details
Product: Aldo Tura Hand-Decorated Green Goatskin Parchment Thermos Carafe with Golden Queen, model 1278, Italy - Late 1950
Designer: Aldo Tura
Manufacturer: Aldo Tura, Milano
Period: 1950
Materials: Lacquered goatskin parchment; brass (spout and handle); insulated interior
Dimensions: Height 30cm | Diameter 12cm
Condition: Please note that this item is in good vintage condition. The lacquered parchment is intact, with a warm patina; natural variations, veining and minor age-related marks may be present, consistent with the material and the period. The brass shows light surface wear and patina, and the hand-painted golden decoration is well preserved. The piece retains its original Tura label and handwritten model number. We kindly invite you to take these characteristics into consideration before purchasing.
Functionality: Insulated thermos carafe with brass pouring spout and handle
Markings: Original green "Creazione Tura – Italy" foil label (horseshoe emblem) and handwritten model number "1278" to the base
 
Collectibility
Aldo Tura's parchment barware is highly collectible, and hand-decorated, figurative examples such as this — with their painted golden subjects — are among the rarest and most desirable of his production. This carafe is exceptionally well documented: it retains its original maker's label and model number 1278, and it is pictured in an original Aldo Tura archive photograph (catalogued "1278 d"), which accompanies the piece. It is also sold with a certificate of authenticity issued by the Aldo Tura Archive, of which JF Gallery Design is the current custodian, confirming its attribution and its historical and collectible importance.
A museum-quality, fully documented object, ideal for serious collectors of 20th-century Italian design and for the most refined interiors.
 
Designer & Manufacturer
Aldo Tura (Milan) is among the most distinctive figures of 20th-century Italian decorative arts. His atelier is renowned for its exceptional work with parchment and luxurious materials, creating highly recognizable, theatrical pieces — barware, boxes and furniture — in which craftsmanship, decorative refinement and material experimentation merge into an unmistakable Italian design language. Hand-painted, figurative parchment pieces like this represent his work at its most elaborate and collectible.