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Mid-Century Modern Beechwood Leather Safari Chair by Wilhelm Kienzle
$2,900
£2,196.48
€2,522.29
CA$4,064.14
A$4,420.20
CHF 2,342.55
MX$52,963.29
NOK 29,772.57
SEK 27,275.72
DKK 18,853.11
About the Item
LEATHER AND BEECHWOOD "SAFARI" CHAIR
Designed by Wilhelm Kienzle in 1928 in brand-new custom artisan-made saddle leather
34 3/8" H x 22" D x 21 1/2" W x 14" H to seat
Designed in 1928 by Wilhelm Kienzle, the "Safari" chair is an enduring icon of modernist seating, an example of which is held in the permanent collection of the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany. This example is crafted from solid beechwood and features entirely new custom artisan-made rawhide leather sling seat, backrest, and arm straps, produced by a local maker to match the original design. The leather is thick-cut, hand-stitched, and secured with high-quality brass buckles and fittings, ensuring both durability and visual authenticity. Please note the natural variations of rawhide leather.
In writing about the chair in the Vitra Design Museum, Claude Lichtenstein notes:
"This dis-mountable chair was created by the Swiss designer Wilhelm Kienzle. It is an adaptation of a model used in the nineteenth century by British colonial officials during their work-related travels, which Kienzle had seen in London in 1928. Its advantages are that it is lightweight and takes up little space. The chair’s legs are connected by round bars, which are inserted into the open seam of the seat cover (in copies with the original cover). Similarly, the cover is affixed to the movable backrest, which is attached to the upper ends of the back legs with a pivot pin. The leather strap armrests are fastened to the legs with brass buttons. Since the chair’s frame is not independently stable, leather straps stretched between the chair legs bear the lateral load of the seated individual.
In the interwar period, others – such as the Danish designer Kaare Klint in 1933 – created variants of this chair type. Kienzle’s design most likely was not mass-produced until after 1945 by the Swiss interior design company Wohnbedarf. In the post-war period it became the very embodiment of a non-conformist lifestyle."
We have several examples of this model and a variant by Wilhelm Kienzle in the shop, some in original leather and some, like this example, with newly crafted artisan leather upholstery.
Shipping Note: This chair will be shipped entirely disassembled in order to keep shipping costs to a minimum, and reassembly will be required upon arrival.
Condition: Entirely new artisan-made leather in heavy rawhide with natural flaws and blemishes. Polished steel nubs on arms while all other hardware is solid brass. Speckling and staining to the finish of the chairs.
ref. 405QXI07A
About silla antiques
art
Established in 2009, we have available in our 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery an ever-changing selection of carefully curated and catalogued furniture, decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and estate jewelry. Our company has long specialized in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display.
The gallery is located at 117 W Burd Street in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and is open by appointment only. We welcome your visit and would love to meet with you at the shop. For clients located outside of the area, we are always available to discuss items by video conferencing or by phone.
- Creator:Wilhelm Kienzle (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.38 in (87.33 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Replacements made: Replaced leather. Entirely new artisan-made leather in heavy rawhide with natural flaws and blemishes. Polished steel nubs on arms while all other hardware is solid brass. Speckling and staining to the finish of the chairs.
- Seller Location:Shippensburg, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: 405QXI07A1stDibs: LU1059046316592
About the Seller
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Shippensburg, PA
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