Mid-Century Kiaat Sideboard attributed to Duros, South Africa, c.1960s
A generously proportioned kiaat sideboard carried on a distinctive floating frame base — the carcass sits suspended within a sculpted under-frame with turned, tapering legs joined by stretchers, a construction detail found on Duros's better casework of the period. Sculpted pulls are recessed into the drawer and door fronts, so the façade reads unbroken.
Four graduated drawers sit to the left, the top drawer baize-lined and fitted with cutlery divisions. Two lockable cupboard doors open to a shelved interior divided into four compartments. The original key is present and the locks are in working order.
About Duros
Established in Cape Town in 1904 by Latvian émigré Hyman Ospovat — the name a composite of "Ospovat" and "durability" — Duros became one of South Africa's leading producers of Danish Modern-influenced furniture, operating from Roeland Street until the 1980s. Ospovat took the company's slogan from Keats: a thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
