The Brass Collection
SCULPTURAL FURNITURE, CAST AND FINISHED BY HAND
Long before The Brass Collection became part of JJCurated, our co-founder Jonas discovered the INK Solid Brass Coffee Table in a gallery in Bangkok.
The piece immediately stayed with him, but at the time, the gallery was unable to sell it. He left Bangkok without the table, yet never quite forgot about it.
A year later, during another stay in the city, the thought of it returned. On the penultimate day of the trip, while sitting by the pool at the Mandarin Oriental, Jonas began searching for the people behind the piece.
He continued until he found the workshop that had made it, got up, left the hotel and went there that same day. This time, he was finally able to purchase the table.
A few months later, it arrived in Vienna and took its place in his living room.
What began as the pursuit of a single object became the starting point for a much larger collaboration and, eventually, for The Brass Collection at JJCurated.
Today, we work directly with the specialist foundry behind the table, whose knowledge of bronze and brass casting has been developed over more than thirty years. Every piece passes through numerous skilled hands, from the first sculpted form to the final polishing and patination.
THE LOST-WAX PROCESS
The collection is produced using the traditional lost-wax casting method, a technique that has been used to create metal objects for thousands of years.
The process begins with a model formed in wax. Every curve, line and surface detail present in the wax will later be carried into the metal.
The wax form is surrounded by a heat-resistant mould and placed into a furnace. As the temperature rises, the wax melts and escapes, leaving behind an empty space in its exact shape. Molten brass is then poured into this cavity.
Once the metal has cooled and solidified, the mould is broken away to reveal the raw casting. The original wax form has disappeared, replaced permanently by brass.
FROM RAW CASTING TO FINISHED OBJECT
What emerges from the mould is only the beginning of the finishing process.
Casting channels must be removed, surfaces refined and, where required, separately cast sections carefully welded together. The joins are worked until they become part of the overall form, while the metal is repeatedly filed, sanded and polished by hand.
Each stage requires a different specialist and a precise understanding of how brass responds to heat, pressure and repeated finishing.
This extensive manual process allows the original sculptural intention to remain visible while transforming the raw casting into a functional piece of furniture.
THE CHARACTER OF THE CAST SURFACE
Lost-wax casting naturally creates subtle variations in the metal. Tiny pinholes, changes in texture and slight irregularities may remain visible across the finished surface.
These are not concealed beneath a uniform industrial coating. They reveal the way the piece was made and give each casting its own individual character.
The final appearance is created through polishing, colouring and patination. Brass can be brought to a luminous golden finish or transformed into deeper, more muted tones that emphasise the sculptural form.
On polished pieces, the brass remains unlacquered. With time and touch, the surface can develop a natural patina, recording the life of the object. Its original shine can also be restored through careful polishing whenever desired.
FROM BRUSHSTROKE TO BRASS
Among the defining pieces within the collection are the sculptural INK forms.
Inspired by the rhythm and continuous movement of Chinese ink painting and calligraphy, their lines appear to flow through space like brushstrokes across paper. Sloping supports, pointed legs and sweeping curves give the furniture an unexpected sense of lightness.
The lost-wax process makes these organic structures possible, allowing an expressive gesture first shaped in wax to become a permanent form in brass.
Across the wider collection, further inspiration is drawn from intertwining roots, tropical fruits and naturally occurring forms. These references are not reproduced literally but transformed into sculptural furniture and objects with a distinct contemporary presence.
SCULPTURE WITH A FUNCTION
Brass is not applied merely as a decorative surface. It is the material from which the structure and character of each piece are created.
Coffee tables, consoles, seating and decorative objects occupy the space between functional furniture and sculpture. Their weight and material presence are balanced by lines that remain organic, open and expressive.
Our selection for JJCurated brings together pieces that are bold without becoming excessive: objects designed to perform a function while giving a room an unmistakable sense of character.
