T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Pair of Armchairswith Original Label
About the Item
- Creator:T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 25.6 in (65 cm)Depth: 33.08 in (84 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Rovereta, SM
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3757335457002
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
British-born designer, interior decorator and author T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings was one of the great American tastemakers in the middle decades of the 20th century. Much like Edward Wormley, Robsjohn-Gibbings was a design classicist by education and inclination, but he would come to create some of the most gracious and livable modern furnishings of the era.
Robsjohn-Gibbings studied architecture at the University of London, then held various jobs that included designing décors for passenger liners and working as the art director of a film studio. In the early 1930s, while employed by the upper-crust interior designer Charles J. Duveen, Robsjohn-Gibbings experienced an epiphany during a visit to the British Museum.
Examining the furniture depicted on ancient Greek ceramics — lithe stools and klismos chairs — he realized that he had found a design touchstone. By 1936, Robsjohn-Gibbings had moved to New York and set up a showroom on Madison Avenue for his modern reinterpretations of Classical Greek designs. Aided by contacts he’d developed while working with Duveen, he quickly established a clientele that included Elizabeth Arden, Doris Duke and Thelma Chrysler Foy.
Through his writings for magazines and books, Robsjohn-Gibbings earned a public following and was established as an urbane arbiter of taste. From 1943 to 1956, he produced an understated line of modernist furnishings for Widdicomb, which included one of the icons of the period: the tiered, biomorphic Mesa coffee table (1951). Robsjohn-Gibbings moved to Athens, Greece, in 1966, and created a new line of antiquity-inspired pieces for the firm Saridis. The series turned out to be his swan song.
Collectors’ interest in Robsjohn-Gibbings was reignited in the 1980s when the 200-plus pieces from his 1936–38 commission for the Bel-Air estate of Los Angeles socialite Hilda Boldt Weber — pared-down neoclassical pieces rendered in blond wood (with the occasional flourish) — came on the market. (Up until then, the collection had remained in the house, despite its having changed hands several times.)
But his work for Widdicomb remains his most widely known, appreciated for its elegance and generous proportions. Robsjohn-Gibbings despised the stern aesthetic associated with his Bauhaus contemporaries, and a keynote of his modernist pieces is that they have no sharp angles. His chair and sofa frames, table legs and even many cabinets feature softly contoured edges. In whatever style he designed, Robsjohn-Gibbings was guided by simplicity and timelessness. He wanted his furniture to be lived with happily.
Find antique T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings coffee tables, dining tables, credenzas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Rovereta, San Marino
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Pair Mid Century Ribbon Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960's Whit LabelBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Rovereta, SMPair mid century ribbon chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960's Whit Label.Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Pair of Fratelli Reguitti 'Lord' ArmchairsBy Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Rovereta, SMFratelli Reguitti, pair of 'Lord' armchairs, walnut, red fabric upholstery, Italy, 1959. Beautiful armchairs walnut by Fratelli Reguitti. The wooden frame has a beautiful detailed a...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Big Pair Osvaldo Borsani of Arredamenti Borsani Varedo Low Tables Original LabelBy Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Rovereta, SMBig Pair Osvaldo Borsani for Arredamenti Borsani Varedo low tables original label.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Rare Pair of Italian Armchair by Mario OregliaLocated in Rovereta, SMAttractive pair of armchairs designed by architect Mario Oreglia in late 1949. The armchairs present an iconic geometric play where a seductive, vibrant ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Sculptural Paolo Buffa Armchairs Italian MidcenturyBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Rovereta, SMPaolo Buffa (1903-1970). Handsome pair of walnut stained armchairs with spindled back and arms, sculpted armrests and tapered legs, Italy, circa 1950.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of Gio Ponti Armchairs Italian I.S.A. Bergamo, 1950sBy ISA Bergamo, Gio PontiLocated in Rovereta, SMPair of Gio Ponti armchairs velvet upholstery, I.S.A. Bergamo manufacturer, Italy, 1950s.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings ArmchairsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in New York, NYPair T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings armchairs for Widdicomb. Solid walnut frames and newly upholstered.Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Pair of T. H. Robsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb Arm ChairsBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Kansas City, MOElegant pair of Robsjohn-Gibbings armchairs.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Mahogany, Upholstery
- Pair of T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Lounge Chairs, Model 1720By T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Stamford, CTPair of T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb lounge chairs of ebonized walnut- Model 1720. Circa 1955.Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of Vintage T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Lounge ChairsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis unique pair of his and hers chairs feature upholstered seats with simple yet shapely black lacquer frames. Exquisite modern design by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings makes a striking imp...Category
20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pair of Mid-Century Robsjohn Gibbings Style Lounge ChairsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis oversized pair of vintage modern lounge chairs feature a two-tone design with green vinyl and decorative fabric. An attractive pair of arm chairs with removable cushions and tap...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Faux Leather, Wood
- A Pair Of T.H.Robsjohn-Gibbings Strap Lounge Chairs Vintage 1950'sBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA pair of fabulous, original T.H.Robsjohn-Gibbings arm chairs with strapping. Model # 1720, as referenced in the vintage Widdicomb catalog, these chairs are original and vintage ca' ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut