Walnut Mirror by George Nakashima for Widdicomb
View Similar Items
Walnut Mirror by George Nakashima for Widdicomb
About the Item
- Creator:George Nakashima (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 43 in (109.22 cm)Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good condition. Minor surface scratches and wear. Retains warm original patina.
- Seller Location:Atlanta, GA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU87188352933
George Nakashima
A master woodworker and M.I.T.-trained architect, George Nakashima was the leading light of the American Studio furniture movement. Along with Wharton Esherick, Sam Maloof and Wendell Castle, Nakashima was an artisan who disdained industrial methods and materials in favor of a personal, craft-based approach to the design. What sets Nakashima apart is the poetic style of his work, his reverence for wood and the belief that his furniture could evince — as he put it in the title of his 1981 memoir — The Soul of a Tree.
Born in Spokane, Washington, to Japanese immigrants, Nakashima traveled widely after college, working and studying in Paris, Japan and India, and at every stop he absorbed both modernist and traditional design influences. The turning point in Nakashima’s career development came in the United States in 1942, when he was placed in an internment camp for Asian-Americans in Idaho. There, Nakashima met a master woodcarver who tutored him in Japanese crafting techniques. A former employer won Nakashima’s release and brought him to bucolic New Hope, Pennsylvania, where Nakashima set up a studio and worked for the rest of his life.
Nakashima’s singular aesthetic is best captured in his custom-made tables and benches — pieces that show off the grain, burls and whorls in a plank of wood. He left the “free edge,” or natural contour, of the slab un-planed, and reinforced fissures in the wood with “butterfly” joints. Almost all Nakashima seating pieces have smooth, milled edges. Nakashima also contracted with large-scale manufacturers to produce carefully supervised editions of his designs. Knoll has offered his Straight chair — a modern take on the spindle-backed Windsor chair — since 1946; the now-defunct firm Widdicomb-Mueller issued the Shaker-inspired Origins collection in the 1950s.
Nelson Rockefeller in 1973 gave Nakashima his single largest commission: a 200-piece suite for his suburban New York estate. Today, Nakashima furniture is collected by both the staid and the fashionable: his work sits in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as in the homes of Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, Diane von Furstenberg and the late Steve Jobs.
- Clean Lined Walnut Mirror by Kipp Stewart for DrexelBy Kipp StewartLocated in Atlanta, GAClean lined walnut mirror by Kipp Stewart for Drexel, American, circa 1950s. Retains it's warm original patina. Has been cleaned and Danish oiled. Can be hung vertically or horizonta...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Walnut
$850 Sale Price43% Off - Clean Lined Lacquered Mirror by Paul FranklBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in Atlanta, GAClean lined lacquered mirror, designed by Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture and retailed by John Stuart of NYC, American, circa 1940s. This mirror is currently being refinished and c...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Wood
- Clean Lined Selection of Mirrors by Donald Deskey and Paul FranklBy Donald Deskey, Paul FranklLocated in Atlanta, GAClean lined selection of mirrors by Donald Deskey and Paul Frankl, American, circa 1930s-1950s. They are both currently being refinished and can b...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Wood
- Octagonal Marbleized MirrorLocated in Atlanta, GAOctagonal Marbleized Mirror, American, circa 1960's.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror
$850 Sale Price69% Off - Lacquered Spiral Openwork MirrorBy Karl SpringerLocated in Atlanta, GAIvory Color Lacquered Spiral openwork mirror, at least circa 1940s, possibly much earlier. It measures an impressive 41.5" diameter.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsWood, Mirror
- Sculptural Double Oval Gilt MirrorLocated in Atlanta, GASculptural double oval gilt mirror, American, circa 1960s. This mirror has a sculptural form and would fit seamlessly into a wide range of interiors, ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsComposition
- George Nakashima for Widdicomb attributed mirrorBy George NakashimaLocated in Kalamazoo, MIStunning vintage sculpted walnut framed mirror attributed to George Nakashima for his Origins collection for Widdicomb-Mueller, 1958-1964. This mirror incorporates Nakashima’s distin...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsWalnut
- Midcentury Walnut Mirror by Strata for UnagustaBy UnagustaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLMidcentury walnut mirror by Strata for Unagusta, sleek modern mirror, with inset 31"x 49" clear mirror. Can be hung horizontally or vertically.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Walnut
$878 Sale Price41% Off - George II White Painted MirrorBy John BookerLocated in London, GBA superb Irish George II white painted mirror. The carved architectural top with a central scallop shell, above a panel of panel swagged ribbons a...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century British George II Wall Mirrors
MaterialsWood, Paint
- George II English Wall Mirror Walnut Fret Cut with Original Glass, Ca 1750By Thomas ChippendaleLocated in Lincoln, LincolnshireThis English hanging wall mirror is from the mid 18th Century, George 11nd period circa 1750. It has a softwood frame construction, probably pine with hardwood figured walnut veneer...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century English George II Wall Mirrors
MaterialsGlass, Walnut
- George II Giltwood Mirror, circa 1750Located in Westwood, NJFine George II carved and pierced giltwood mirror.Category
Antique 18th Century English Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
MaterialsWood
- Pair of George III Adam Giltwood MirrorsLocated in Westwood, NJA pair of carved giltwood George III mirrors of Adam design with leaf carved outer frame and bead carved inner frame, the surrounding border glasses are punctuated by oval flower-hea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Adam Style Wall Mirrors
MaterialsGiltwood
$16,500 / item