Decorative Tray in Hardwood by Jean Gillon, 1960s

About the Item

This Brazilian mid century modern decorative tray was designed by Jean Gillon for WoodArt and made in Brazil in the sixties. Handcrafted from hard rosewood (also known as jacaranda), the tray is in the shape of a leaf and has clean lines with elegant curves. The rosewood has a deep, dark, rich tone with stunning natural wood grain. Also, the wood has been refinished and the manufacturing seal is at the bottom of the tray. Jean Gillon was a Brazilian furniture designer born in Romania in 1919. He studied at the Architecture and Fine arts Schools at the National University. After immigrating to São Paulo, Brazil in 1956, he founded his first company, Fábrica de Móveis Cidam, in 1961. Gillon's firm designed many luxury hotels, homes, and stores throughout Brazil. He was known for his one of a kind tapestries. His second furniture company, WoodArt, produced full lines of Brazilian rosewood furniture and objects-utilizing upholstery and leather. Size: H1, W9.8, D4.3 (in) | H2.5, W25, D11 (cm)

Creator:

Jean Gillon (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Width: 9.8 in (24.9 cm)Depth: 4.3 in (10.93 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Wood,Woodwork

Place of Origin:

Brazil

Period:

1960-1969

Date of Manufacture:

1960s

Condition:

Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. The wood has been refinished and is now in excellent condition.

Seller Location:

New York, NY

Reference Number:

Seller: 3081stDibs: LU7095236076412

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Shop All Jean Gillon

Jean Gillon

Although he was Romanian by birth, architect and designer Jean Gillon’s heart and soul belonged to his adopted country of Brazil. The country’s culture and revered architecture served as a muse for his mid-century furniture designs. Today Gillon ranks among the most interesting figures in Brazilian modernism, which is characterized by sensual forms and beautifully handcrafted chairs, tables and cabinets built from exotic hardwoods.

Gillon was born in Iasi and graduated from the city’s George Enescu National University of the Arts. He then moved to Paris, where he studied tapestry, worked at the newspaper Le Monde as a cartoonist and moonlighted as a set designer for the Paris Opera Ballet. He eventually left Paris for Vienna, where he studied architecture at the School of Industrial Arts, known today as the University of Applied Arts. In the early 1950s, Gillon was a visiting lecturer at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts.

In 1956, Gillon moved with his wife and two daughters to São Paulo, where he developed a passion for Brazilian architecture, namely the work of modernists such as celebrated architect Lina Bo Bardi and designer José Zanine Caldas. Gillon took on interior decorating projects and formed the Fábrica de Móveis Cidam, which later became Italma Wood Art, in order to design furniture for his clients. Gillon’s furnishings, produced at Italma and also in collaboration with manufacturers such as Probel, were immensely popular and could be found in the planned capital city of Brasilia, a project launched in 1956 by Oscar Niemeyer.

Gillon designed everything from bowls and baskets to centerpieces, tables and other objects and furniture. However, he was best known for his lounge chairs and sofas, including his iconic Jangada chair. Named for the Portuguese word for traditional Brazilian fishing boats, the award-winning Jangada was framed in jacaranda in the late 1960s. The welcoming seat of Gillon’s visually striking trapezoidal lounge chair features plush leather cushions that are supported by nylon fishing rope.

Gillon continued to produce furniture for Italma Wood Art until he retired in 2003. He died in 2007, and today Gillon’s pieces remain highly covetable among interior designers and collectors of modern furniture.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Jean Gillon seating, decorative objects and serveware.