1932 9-Piece Dining Room Set from Cantu Italy

I was a visiting this antique mall when I noticed this very spacious booth with only 9 items in it. The sign said "Everything half off" and those are some of my favorite words so I headed to the front to get more details. The proprietor told me that the vendor had to leave the state and that day was his last day. The vendor needed to sell and was opened to negotiating (also 3 of my favorite words). I made him a deal he couldn't refuse and picked up my favorite find of my collector career. I don't know all of the details about my great find, but I have been researching to no avail. It is marked "Cantù 10 Novembre 1932." I was told that it is make of Burl Wood. Apparently, there is a lot of mastery that goes into matching the burl wood pattern.

I love it because it is elegant and has fine workmanship, and I love the Art Deco and Art Nouveau eras. The carved figures are stunning, and the China cabinet is more of a curio but is gorgeous. The chair seats are a dark leather and rather small and uncomfortable. Though the leather has weathered nicely for the age of the set, I am going to replace them with something bolder and more comfortable. The set has plenty of storage with nice wide and deep drawers and shelves. I feel very blessed to have this set, and I think that I got the deal of the century. I will continue to seek information on it so that I can document the history.