Karl Springer Graphite Shagreen Ribbon Box
View Similar Items
Karl Springer Graphite Shagreen Ribbon Box
About the Item
- Creator:Karl Springer (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 6.13 in (15.58 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)Depth: 6.63 in (16.85 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1980
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9475769795
Karl Springer
The Berlin-born, New York–based designer Karl Springer brought a chic, high-fashion sensibility to furnishings. During his heyday in the 1970s, Springer’s work was a favorite of the glamour set, who enjoyed the novelty of pieces finished in rich and striking materials that ranged from exotic hides and skins to lacquer and chromed metal. In a sense, Springer was a pre-postmodernist. Much as the dull, safe, corporate sameness of late 20th-century modernism prompted Ettore Sottsass, Michael Graves and others to explore new and provocative structures and materials in design and architecture, so, too, was Springer driven to enliven his creations with fresh and alluring energy and sleekness.
Springer came to New York in the late 1950s and found work arranging window displays at the department store Lord & Taylor. He had studied bookbinding in Germany, and, using his meticulous skills, he began crafting desk accessories wrapped in leather as a sideline. These pieces were sold in luxury stores like Bergdorf Goodman, and drew a sophisticated clientele that included the Duchess of Windsor. By 1965, he had established his own Manhattan atelier, and at his death he had showrooms as far afield as Los Angeles, Tokyo and Munich.
The chairs, tables, credenzas and other furniture forms Springer created are generally simple, but substantial, and often have robust, rounded lines. The appeal of his work lies in Springer's insistence on exacting construction and, above all, his eye for unusual materials and finishes. He employed Lucite, brass, and gunmetal along with chromed and polished steel, and revived exquisite finishes rarely seen since the days of Art Deco masters such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean-Michel Frank: shagreen (a type of sharkskin), python, goatskin, bone, horn, and lacquered parchment, as well as fabrics that include batik prints. Made of such materials, Springer’s work is by its very nature flamboyant and eye-catching: a suite of pieces will astonish, and an artfully placed side table in exotic hide will add a surprising spark.
Find a collection of vintage Karl Springer furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Karl Springer BoxBy Karl SpringerLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPainted goatskin box Immaculate detail and manufacture.Category
Vintage 1970s American Decorative Boxes
MaterialsGoatskin
$2,600 - Karl Springer Snakeskin Covered BoxBy Karl SpringerLocated in West Palm Beach, FLKarl Springer snakeskin box with suede interior.Category
Vintage 1970s American Decorative Boxes
MaterialsAnimal Skin
- Karl Springer Kyoto Box / TableBy Karl SpringerLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA rarely seen Karl Springer Kyoto Box Original surface with minor touchups Original suede interior.Category
Vintage 1970s American Tables
MaterialsWood
- Karl Springer Bullfrog Skin Box, 1970sBy Karl SpringerLocated in New York, NYSculptural lidded box covered in bullfrog skin with brass hinge by Karl Springe, American, 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsAnimal Skin
- Karl Springer Pivoting Painted Goatskin BoxBy Karl SpringerLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA pivoting box, covered in sliced petrified coral Label below. See photo can to get a sense of scale.Category
Vintage 1970s American Decorative Boxes
MaterialsGoatskin
- Karl Springer Lacquered Snakeskin Decorative BoxBy Karl SpringerLocated in Brooklyn, NYA scrupulously-crafted, decorative trinket or jewelry box by Karl Springer comprising a rectangular body with a domed, hinged lid and a suede-lined interior. The outside is wrapped e...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsSuede, Animal Skin
$2,820 Sale Price40% Off