GG2007.22

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 90; Larghezza: 130; Unità di misura: UNR; Unità di misura: UNR

legno di noce nazionale meridionale; inserti in acciaio, alluminio, vetro

A notary by profession and a great lover of literature, Fasce designed the autonomous table Autarca to allow the family to eat meals without the presence of servants and thus finally be free to speak openly in an era characterized by obsessive political control and the tangible threat of denunciation. Inspired by its basic function—complete “convivial” self-sufficiency—its name recalled one of the most officiated precepts of the civil liturgy of fascism: autarchy.
Fascist autarkic policy officially began in March 1936, in response to sanctions imposed by the League of Nations on November 18, 1935, following Italy's invasion of Ethiopia. However, mobilization in favor of economic independence and in support of national production had begun to emerge in the years following the economic crisis of 1929, which had led to the protectionist policies consolidated by the economic blockade imposed by Geneva. A relentless propaganda campaign, characterized by visually striking graphics, famous slogans (“We will go straight ahead” or “Italy will do it alone”) and highly appealing exhibitions, such as the Autarchic Exhibition of Italian Minerals, was deployed to promote Italian products and counteract the harmful effects of the embargo. Autarchy, which for some time seemed to contribute to the consolidation of the regime's image—distracting public opinion from the critical issues of its political action and its authoritarian and dictatorial nature—favored above all the search for new materials, offering an extraordinary field of experimentation for the most innovative trends in Italian design. Patented in 1936 with the definition of “Table containing everything necessary for serving meals,” the Autarca offers six diners the opportunity to enjoy a full meal without the assistance of service staff. The most unique feature of the large round table was its complex internal mechanism of weights and counterweights which, thanks to a transmission belt and a crank, allowed the central rotating part to be raised and lowered, giving diners direct access to special compartments and doors containing food that had been cooked in advance and kept warm by electric hotplates. Lunch could therefore be eaten without having to get up and without the help of service staff, as each diner found the necessary items from the original set in the shelves and drawers in front of their place, consisting of red earthenware plates from Richard-Ginori; coffee cups and saucers, toothpick holders and cutlery rests in red Bakelite with the ‘Standard’ logo; embroidered linen placemats indicating the table settings; specially printed menus with the name and graphic outline of the table; and, finally, glasses with fluted rims from the ‘Francesca’ service.