Rare Rocker Chair by Ralph Rapson for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Ralph Rapson (Designer)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1947
- Condition:Recent professional restoration to frame and upholstery.
- Seller Location:Hadley, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU99971579042
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Birch
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Birch
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Birch
Vintage 1940s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Birch
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
2010s Guatemalan Organic Modern Rocking Chairs
Plywood
2010s Spanish Modern Rocking Chairs
Formica, Wood
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood, Hardwood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
