Rare Philip & Kelvin LaVerne "Chan Boucher'" Signed Bronze & Pewter Coffee Table

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Philip & Kelvin LaVerne "Chan Boucher" Coffee Table — Signed Mid-Century Modern Etched Bronze & Pewter Oval Cocktail Table with … Read more Philip & Kelvin LaVerne "Chan Boucher" Coffee Table — Signed Mid-Century Modern Etched Bronze & Pewter Oval Cocktail Table with French Ribbon Legs, c. 1960s

A rare "Chan Boucher" coffee table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, New York, circa 1960s. This is a distinctive variant within the LaVernes' celebrated Chan series — as documented in the studio's own showroom catalog, Sculpture III: "Chan Boucher – Scenes from the Chan Dynasty – sculpted in bronze, inlaid with pewter. Delicate patinas enrich the metals. The sculpted oval is enhanced with French ribbon legs in bronze."
The sculpted oval top is hand-engraved and acid-etched in patinated bronze inlaid with pewter, depicting an elaborate Chinoiserie imperial court procession — palace pavilions, robed attendants, a rickshaw and ox-drawn cart, set against a distant mountain landscape. The scene is finished with the LaVernes' signature hand-applied polychrome enamels and gold leaf highlighting, achieved through their proprietary acid-etching and patination techniques.
The top rests on the model's distinctive "French ribbon" legs — bundled tapered bronze rods bound with wide, knotted banding, a hallmark detail of this specific Chan Boucher form. Signed "Philip + Kelvin LaVerne" on the top.

Dimensions: 17.75" H x 54" W x 21" D

Reference: Alchemy: The Art of Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, by Evan Lobel with Kelvin LaVerne (Pointed Leaf Press, 2024). The Chan Boucher coffee table was created in the 1960s, as part of the Chan table series that was among the most popular of the LaVernes’ designs. Made in various shapes, the tables were easy to place in interiors of any style.

About : Philip & Kelvin LaVerne
Philip LaVerne (1907–1987) and his son Kelvin LaVerne (b. 1937) were a New York father-and-son design duo celebrated for transforming furniture into sculptural art. Working primarily in bronze and pewter, they developed unique acid-etching and patination techniques — including burying pieces in soil to naturally oxidize the metal — then hand-finished the surfaces with enamels and gold leaf. Their designs, often drawing on ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Chinese motifs, include celebrated series like Chan, Tao, and Ming. Every piece was signed by both father and son. Their work remains highly sought after today and is documented in Alchemy: The Art of Philip and Kelvin LaVerne (Pointed Leaf Press, 2024). See less