Jean-Paul Rossi

Jean-Paul is one of the last master craftsmen in the Bauges region to carry on theancestraltradition of making wooden tableware on a pole lathe.

Born in the Bauges, Jean-Paul knows all the secrets of his mountain range: its history,itstraditions, and its forests. 

For 60 years, he has been carrying on traditional techniques to craft his pieces, which showcase the technical skill, finesse, and elegance of this artisan’s craftsmanship.

The wooden tableware produced in the Bauges region was named “Argenterie des Bauges” by the Bishop of Geneva in 1645, but has actually existed in the region since the 14th century. This tableware, known as “the poor man’s tableware,” was crafted from wood sourced in the surrounding forests by artisans who shaped a wide varietyof objects—bowls, cups, pouches, small bowls, spoons, and more—which were then sold by peddlers. Each piece was unique, varying in shape and use, and turned from green wood—unlike the traditional wood lathe—to ensure the tableware would last and not break.

Timeless objects—raw yet delicate, deeply evocative—that speak to us of history, craftsmanship, and life in days gone by, and are rich in meaning.

A few months after two of his pieces were sold at an auction held by Piasa, more than a hundred pieces—some of which are over twenty years old—are being brought together in Paris for the first time for an exhibition. 

The team at La Maison de Commerce to Savoie to retrieve them from Jean-Paul Rossi’s attic. For him, raising awareness of this tableware is essential, so that this ancestral craftsmanship is not lost and becomes known to everyone.