Sergio Rodrigues Moleca Black Leather Chair and Ottoman 1963, Brazilian Modern
View Similar Items
Sergio Rodrigues Moleca Black Leather Chair and Ottoman 1963, Brazilian Modern
About the Item
- Creator:Sergio Rodrigues (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)Depth: 39 in (99.06 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1963
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4190320390372
Sergio Rodrigues
The prolific architect and designer Sergio Rodrigues is often called the "father of modern Brazilian design," but it is the second adjective in that phrase that deserves emphasis: Rodrigues’s great achievement was to create furniture in a style that captured the spirit, character and personality of his country.
Modernity came slowly to 20th-century Brazil, politically and culturally. The nation finally realized genuine constitutional democracy in 1945, ushering in a new, progressive era in the arts. Until that time, heavy furniture based on historical European models had been the norm. In the late 1940s, designer Joaquim Tenreiro introduced sleek, minimalist chairs and cabinets; José Zanine Caldas, now best known for his later artisanal work, created plywood furnishings for mass-production; the Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi, a former editor for the Gio Ponti-founded magazine Domus, set up shop in São Paulo, designing elegant, flexible chairs set on slim metal frames.
This was the heady scene into which Rodrigues, the son of an artistically prominent Rio de Janeiro family, arrived after graduating in 1952 from the national university. He established Oca Industries in 1955, a company that would become the preeminent maker of modernist furniture in Brazil. When architects Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer were tasked in 1956 with the whirlwind project to plan, design and build the new capital, Brasília, in five years, they used Rodrigues’s early chairs, with their softly-contoured lines and caned seats and backrests, to furnish many of the buildings.
Rodrigues would realize the true expression of his talents in — and garner international awards and acclaim with — his Mole chair of 1957. The word mole means "soft" in Portuguese, but can be interpreted as "easygoing" or even "listless." Rodrigues's chair features a sturdy, generously proportioned frame of the native South American hardwood jacaranda, upholstered with overstuffed leather pads that flap like saddlebags across the arms, seat, and backrest. It is a chair that invites sprawling — perfect for the social milieu of the bossa nova and caipirinha cocktails; where a languorous afternoon spent chatting and joking is the apex of enjoyment.
Most of the estimated 1,200 armchairs, sofas, tables, storage cabinets and dining tables Rodrigues designed in his long career are imbued, in one way or another, with this air of robust relaxation. Sergio Rodrigues was a designer true to the temperament of his people.
- Tommi Parzinger Originals Modern Armchair and Ottoman, Club Chair, 1958By Tommi Parzinger, Parzinger OriginalsLocated in Brooklyn, NYTommi Parzinger lounge chair and ottoman, ebonized frame, charcoal grey upholstery. Copy of the original purchased receipt included from Parzinger Originals Inc., dated January 15, 1958 Dimensions: 27" H x 28 1/2" W x 31" D and 15" H x 28" L x 16" Tommi Parzinger was born in Munich and received professional design training there at the school of art and craft, Kunstgewerbeschule. He began his career as a freelance designer of ceramics, wallpapers, lighting, textiles, furniture. He traveled and worked in Germany and Austria, becoming familiar with the modern movements of the day including the Wiener Werkstätte, the Jugendstijl, and the Bauhaus. As a professional designer in Germany he created porcelain for the German firm KPM, as well as posters, textiles, interiors and wallpapers. In 1932 he came to the United Stated as a prize for winning a poster contest for North German Lloyd...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTextile
$8,976 Sale Price60% Off - Warren Platner Grey Leather Easy Chair and Ottoman Set of Three, Knoll, 1966By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYWarren platner grey leather easy chair and ottoman set of three, Knoll, 1966. Knoll Models 1705L and 1705Y. Please see last image for proper dimensions. Warren Platner for Knoll gr...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel, Nickel
$13,640 Sale Price / set44% Off - Warren Platner Gray Leather 1705 Easy Chair and Ottoman Set of Two, Knoll, 1966By Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYWarren platner gray leather easy chair and ottoman set of two, Knoll, 1966. Knoll Models 1705L and 1705Y. See final two images for proper dimensions...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel, Nickel
- Edward Wormley Black Leather Janus Lounge Chair, Model 5701, Dunbar, 1957By Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Brooklyn, NYEdward Wormley black leather Janus lounge ch air, Model 5701, Dunbar, 1957 ash, leather; 33.75 H × 30.5 W × 34 D in; Stitched manufacturer's mark to decking ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Ash
$6,700 Sale Price50% Off - Sergio Rodrigues Eleh Jacaronda Coffee Table or Bench, Brazil, 1960sBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in Brooklyn, NYSergio Rodrigues Eleh Jacaronda coffee table or bench, Brazil, 1965. "Eleh" model from the "Arcos" series, Made by Oca, Brazil, 1965. Jacaranda (Brazilian Rosewood) veneered wood, ch...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsJacaranda
$23,040 Sale Price20% Off - Gieger Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Rosewood & Black Leather, Arflex Italia, 1960sBy Martin Grierson, ArflexLocated in Brooklyn, NYGieger Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Rosewood & Black Leather, Arflex Italia, 1960s Shell constructed of three elements of rosewood that connect via a fantastic black steel joint. Shel...Category
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Moleca Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Sergio Rodrigues, Brazilian Mid-Century ModernBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in Sao Paulo, SPThe "Moleca" lounge chair is a significant piece of Brazilian design history, created in 1957 by master designer Sergio Rodrigues. It is a beautiful example of Rodrigues's unique and...Category
Mid-20th Century South American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood
- “Moleca” Lounge Chair with Stool in Hardwood & Leather, Sergio Rodrigues, BrazilBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in New York, NYAvailable today, this Mid-Century Modern “Moleca” Armchair with Stool in Hardwood & Leather by Sergio Rodrigues designed in 1959 is absolutely gorgeous! The "Moleca'' lounge chair...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Hardwood, Wood
$26,000Free Shipping - Vintage Pair of Moleca Rosewood Armchairs by Sergio Rodrigues, 1962, BrazilBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in New York, NYThroughout Sergio Rodrigues' career, many of his pieces underwent adjustment, adapted to new material resources and production conditions, or even reinvented. The Moleca armchair...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- Sergio Rodrigues Pair of Moleca Armchair, Circa 1963By Sergio RodriguesLocated in São Paulo, SPPair of Moleca armchair made in jacaranda and leather. Both wood and leather have beautiful time patina. The leather condition is very good. The wo...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
$28,800 Sale Price / set20% Off - Sergio Rodrigues, Moleca Sofa - Brazilian, Mid-Century Modern - 1963By Sergio RodriguesLocated in Houston, TXIndulge in the elegance of the "Moleca" series, a creation by the internationally renowned Brazilian architect. This series is an exportation version of the celebrated Mole series, e...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Hardwood
$16,000 Sale Price20% Off - Midcentury Brazilian Modern Sergio Rodrigues "Sheriff" Lounge Chair & OttomanBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMidcentury Brazilian Modern Sergio Rodrigues Leather "Sheriff" Lounge Chair and Ottoman - All solid wood - with NO Cushions. Cushions can be custom made by most upholstery shops that...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Hardwood
$3,500 Sale Price30% Off