Antique bathtub in enamelled iron – Central Europe, circa 1950 #7
€425Bid from €382.50
1 are viewing this item0 favorites
Buy with confidence
Shop & pay safely with Buyer ProtectionDesigner items curated by WhoppahWe only pay the seller once you have safely received the item
Trusted payment methods
Top rated on
About this seller
Professional
Gelida (Barcelona), SpainOn Whoppah since July 2026 • 0 sales
Product description
This antique bathtub in enamelled iron rests on a folding stand of bent iron tube. Originates from Central Europe, from the middle of the twentieth century, where sheet metal was press-formed and fired with vitreous enamel.
Portable baths on trestles solved washing in homes without a fixed bathroom: they were filled by hand, emptied through the side drain and folded against the wall. They were made in series across Central Europe well into the second half of the century.
The basin is pressed from a single sheet, with a rolled rim and two integral side handles. It measures 101 cm long by 47 wide and 23 deep. The stand opens into two crossed trestles of bent tube and folds down to 87 × 68 × 26 cm.
The white enamel has taken an ivory tone and shows rust staining in the base and small chips at the rim where the metal comes through. The tube stand is evenly rusted, with the matt texture that time gives. The contrast between the pale basin and the reddish iron is what defines the piece.
Today it serves mainly as a large planter on a terrace or courtyard, and equally as a bottle cooler or ice tub at a party. Its oval silhouette and folding stand make it easy to move and to store.
Details
Ref.: AM35038-7
Dimensions: Length 101 cm – Width 47 cm – Height 76 cm
Style: Industrial
Materials and techniques: Fire-enamelled iron sheet; bent iron tube stand; press forming and vitreous enamelling.
Place of origin: Central Europe
Period: 20th-century industrial production
Date of manufacture: Circa 1950
Condition: The enamel keeps its white with rust staining in the base and chips at the rim. The tube stand shows surface rust. It is watertight. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
Additional details:
- Brand: AMARU
- Material: enamelled iron
- Material: iron tube
- Material: vitreous enamel
- Colour: ivory
- Colour: reddish
- Period: 1950s