Rare 'Tao' Game Table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, 1960s
A rare “Tao” game table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, designed in the 1960s, where surface, sculpture, and narrative collapse into a single ceremonial object.
Cast in patinated bronze and pewter, and finished with hand-painted enamels, the table’s circular top becomes a continuous illustrated field rather than a decorative surface. The engraved scene unfolds like a procession—figures, architectural fragments, and landscape elements emerging and dissolving within layers of oxidized metal. The patina is not uniform but atmospheric, shifting between muted greens, warm browns, and softened metallic highlights, as though time itself has been embedded into the surface.
The imagery, characteristic of Philip and Kelvin LaVerne’s work, carries a meditative density: human figures arranged in ritualized movement, structures that feel both historical and imagined, and negative space that behaves like air moving through a narrative rather than around it. The engraved and painted details sit beneath the surface sheen, never fully asserting themselves, requiring light and proximity to reveal their depth.
The base supports the visual weight of the top without competing with it. Its curved bronze legs arc outward with a tension, meeting in a balanced geometry that feels both engineered and organic. The structure lifts the disc as if it were a relic or ceremonial instrument rather than a functional table.
Marked and signed, the piece carries the authority of authorship but also the intimacy of hand-finished work—each surface variation a record of process rather than repetition.
DIMENSIONS: 38"W x 38"D x 26.5"H
ORIGIN: USA
PERIOD: 1960s
MATERIALS: Bronze,Pewter,Enamel
CONDITION:
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White Glove Delivery
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