An Early Afra and Tobia Scarpa "Ciprea" chair, Cassina, Italy, 1967
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.71 in (78 cm)Width: 35.04 in (89 cm)Depth: 35.04 in (89 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Repaired: Leather repairs. Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. Condition for age is good - please see full description for greater detail.
- Seller Location:London Road, Baldock, GB
- Reference Number:
Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Widely recognized as superstars of postmodern Italian design, husband-and-wife team Afra and Tobia Scarpa (1937–2011; b. 1935) collaboratively created chairs, sofas and other furniture that work equally well in both traditional and cutting-edge environments.
Ranging from architecture and interior design to furniture and clothing, the Scarpas’ practice from its beginnings in the mid-1950s to the 21st century has included a diverse scope of projects combining new technology with thoughtful function and sculptural yet simple forms.
Afra Bianchin and Tobia Scarpa met as architecture students at the Università Iuav di Venezia. In a class led by architect and furniture designer Franco Albini, they created their first collaborative piece, the Pigreco armchair, later produced with Gavina. After graduating in 1957, Tobia worked for Murano glass company Venini & Co. before the couple opened a studio in Afra’s hometown, Montebelluna, in 1960. (Tobia, the son of famed glass artist and architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice.)
For Afra and Tobia, a close collaborative process was pivotal to the success of their designs. The duo was also prolific — they designed for the most influential European manufacturers, including B&B Italia, Cassina, Knoll and FLOS. With respect to the latter, Afra and Tobia were among the legendary Italian lighting maker’s earliest collaborators, and their pioneering designs for the brand included the Papillon lamp, one of the first fixtures to use halogen technology. Their most recognized designs include the Bastiano sofa (1962), the Vanessa bed (1959), the Coronado sofa (1966) and the Soriana seating collection (1970). Work on the Soriana sofa began in late 1969 for an early 1970 debut, and it feels as radical today as it did in its heyday.
Architecture was also a central part of Afra and Tobia’s practice, which spanned residential buildings and factories for Italian companies such as Benetton. Their commissions for the global fashion brand included numerous industrial projects, from textile plants to storefronts. By 1985, Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work was celebrated in a 30-year retrospective at Center Four in Queens, New York. Looking around the 30,000-square-foot exhibition space, Afra joked to the New York Times, “Seeing all those things makes us feel very tired, and now we feel that maybe we worked too much.”
It was not too much for their legacy, as Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work continues to inspire new generations. Scarpa designs are in collections at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The couple was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1970 for the Soriana armchair.
Find vintage Afra & Tobia Scarpa furniture today on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Baldock, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "920" Lounge Chairs, Leather & Rosewood, Cassina, 1960sBy Castelli, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA pair of Afra & Tobia Scarpa "920" chairs for Cassina dating from the 1960s in the original aniline leather and rosewood frame. Pieces featuring rosewood are very rare. These are...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- "Robert" Fireside Chair by Pierre Guariche Upholstered in Pierre FreyBy Pierre Guariche, MeuropLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA "Robert" Fireside chair designed by Pierre Guariche and produced in the 1960s by Meurop. Formed of tubular metal and reupholstered in decorative waves of fake fur that is a perf...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” Chairs in New Velvet, Artifort, 1970s - *Customizable*By Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA pair of Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chairs newly upholstered in Designers Guild linen-colored cotton velvet & potentially customizable in over 100 colors. *Lead time for despatch of ...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Étienne Fermigier 'Attr' Actual Chair, Actual Edition, France, 1972By Etienne FermigierLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireAn Actual chair, Actual Edition, 1972, by Étienne Fermigier (attr). An important figure in French design who was unfortunately killed in a car accident...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” Chairs In Yarn Collective bouclé *Customizable*By Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA pair of Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chairs newly upholstered in a 'Parchment' colored Yarn Collective bouclé fabric. Parchment is a light, neutral, sepia, off-white colour, we have...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” Chair in New Velvet, Artifort, 1970s, *Customizable*By Giancarlo Piretti, ArtifortLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA single Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chair newly upholstered in Designers Guild linen-colored cotton velvet & potentially customizable in over 100 colors. *Lead time for despatch of Al...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Cassina Ciprea Lounge chairs by Tobia and Afra Scarpa, 1970s, ItalyBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Almelo, NLCassina Ciprea Lounge chairs by Tobia and Afra Scarpa, 1970s, Italy Beautiful lounge chairs made in Italy by Tobia and Afra Scarpa for Cassina in Italy...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsPlywood, Leather, Foam
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina Pair of 'Ciprea' Lounge ChairsBy Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, pair of 'Ciprea' easy chairs, fabric, Italy, 1968 This design is made possible by the creative and innovative thinking of the Italian designer duo ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Lounge Chairs for Cassina, 1969, Set of 2By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" lounge chairs for Cassina, original cognac leather, Italy, 1969, set of two. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the It...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Lounge Chairs for Cassina, 1969, Set of 2By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" lounge chairs for Cassina, black leather and metal, Italy, 1969, set of two. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the Italian duo Tobia and Afra Scarpa is firmly associated with the next decade, when its popularity peaked. "Soriana" is low and invites you to sink into its curves. Its most notable feature, however, is the Minimalist structure in chromed steel. This external structure in steel rod keeps the cover taut using buttons...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" Lounge Chairs for Cassina, 1969, Set of 2By Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa "Soriana" lounge chairs for Cassina, brown leather, Italy, 1969, set of two. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the Italian duo ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” Chairs for Cassina, Bouclé Wool, 1969, Set of 2By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” lounge chairs for Cassina, bouclé wool and chromed steel, Italy, 1969, set of two. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by t...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.