Extendable Dining Table “Gran Basilisco” By Enzo Testa For Bernini, Italy 1980's

This bizarre appearance is a table with a monumental character. According to tradition, Bernini's operaperto design team joined forces with designer Enzo Testa. The avant la lettre creations of the late Italian Bernini furniture company are synonymous with refinement and the woodworkings are of the highest standard. The title of this table is “Gran Basilisco” and we are in the dark as to whether it is a reference made to the shifting mythical reptile and creature called the basilisk. The fact remains that we are dealing here with a design of mythical proportions with a rather changeable aesthetic character.

Design
An astonishing base that serves as a counterweight consists of eight granite segments with a substantial weight. These segments belong upright in the compartments of the steel base and are fixed at the top with a black Allen screw. A relatively heavy base is a requirement here due to the very wide scope of leaves that breathtakingly adorns the top of this table.There are eight combinations of table tops possible, each creating a different atmosphere and showing the virtuosity of this object. Large leaves are veneered on both sides in maple, one side of which is dark colored. The top-end of the leaves are finished with a warm veneer of tineo wood, also called evergreen. No expense has been spared for the central point of the table because it consists of an amalgam of various luxurious wood veneers such as rosewood, rosewood, elm, pear, cherry, and amboyna burl. The round plastic buttons are part of an ingenious click system that allows you to attach the blades but also remove them easily. Finally, there are openings in the frame where the leaves can be stored if you wish to have the table in its slimmed down form.Only a few copies of this model were reportedly produced by Bernini.

Condition
This one is marked with the Bernini and Operaperta logo. The table has been restored with careful preservation of the patina and small imperfections that determine its character but are also typical of an object of this age.