Rare Pair of Tobia Scarpa "Bonanza" Lounge Chairs in Leather, circa 1969
View Similar Items
Rare Pair of Tobia Scarpa "Bonanza" Lounge Chairs in Leather, circa 1969
About the Item
- Creator:B&B Italia (Manufacturer),Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.17 in (69 cm)Width: 39.38 in (100 cm)Depth: 36.23 in (92 cm)Seat Height: 15.36 in (39 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1969
- Condition:Leather in lovely condition. One chair shows signs of wear with some tears which have been repaired. Not really noticeable.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: ch#004041stDibs: LU1390218026251
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.
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 Scarpa 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.)
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.
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 Tobia Scarpa table lamps, sofas, dining chairs and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
B&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. From the outset, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. In the early 1970s, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
For decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain iconic today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Mario Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage.
The company’s forward-thinking vision manifested in its own headquarters, too: In 1972, B&B Italia tapped architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to design a steel-framed, postmodern-style home for the brand, whose crisscrossing metal exoskeleton is reminiscent of the pair’s Centre Pompidou in Paris, which was built at roughly the same time. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find a range of vintage B&B Italia furniture — including sofas, cocktail tables and more.
- Rare François Monnet lounge chairs for Kappa France 1972By François Monnet, KappaLocated in London, GBRare pair of lounge chairs designed by Jean François Monnet and manufactured by Kappa, France, in 1972. Very rare to find as less than a hundred chairs were made. These are in fan...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Rare Ernest Race 'Neptune' lounge chair. c1953 EnglandBy Ernest RaceLocated in London, GBAn early Ernest Race 'Neptune' chair. Beech plywood with the early brass fittings and webbing. Folds to an incredible 12cm Structurally sound with a lovely patinaCategory
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Plywood
- Original pair 'Etcetera' lounge chair by Jan Eskelius, Sweden c1970By Jan EkseliusLocated in London, GBOriginal Jan Eskelius 'Etcetera' chair c1970 Re upholstered in a 4 way stretch mohair (Fabric is Knoll). Sculptural chair professionally re upholsteredCategory
Vintage 1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of three Space Age leather lounge chairs on acrylic base. Italy c1970By Tobia ScarpaLocated in London, GBSet of three sculptural lounge chairs in soft black leather on a pyramid shape acrylic base In very good condition Comfortable!Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Lucite
- Pair of Leather SideboardsBy Tobia ScarpaLocated in London, GBSuperb pair of patchwork leather sideboards. Italy circa 1970 ** Also available a matching 4 door sideboard. **Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsLeather, Wood
$12,521 / set - Pair Italian mid century egg shape chairs. Re upholstered in Alpaca wool velvetLocated in London, GBChic pair of 1950s egg shaped Italian armchairs. Brass legs. Beautifully curved chairs upholstered in an alpaca wool velvet Very comfortable!Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa Pair of 'Coronado' Lounge Chairs in Cognac LeatherBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, B&B ItaliaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, pair of 'Coronado' lounge chairs, cognac leather, Italy, 1966 The 'Coronado' lounge chair is designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B talia. The s...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Midcentury Modern Pair of Black Leather Soriana Lounge Chairs by Tobia ScarpaBy Tobia ScarpaLocated in Ibiza, SpainPair of armchairs Soriana designed by Tobia Scarpa and edited for Cassina. Structure in cromed steel and leather. Italy, 60s. Every item LA Studio offers is checked by our team of 1...Category
Vintage 1960s European Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- 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, 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 Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated 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" Lounge Chairs for Cassina, 1969, Set of 2By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated 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 Cassina, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Lonigo, VenetoAfra & Tobia Scarpa “Soriana” lounge chairs for Cassina, champagne leather, Italy, 1969, set of two. Although technically designed in the 1960s, the "Soriana" model by the Italian d...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Rooms We Love: 11 Splendid Living Rooms
Common wisdom used to declare the kitchen the hub of the house. These days, the living room seems to have assumed the role of domestic focal point. Unlike the Victorian parlor, stiffly furnished and reserved for guests, today’s living room is a central place for reading, conversation and, well, living, with furnishings that lend themselves to both casual lounging and elegant entertaining.
Vincent Van Duysen Imbues Minimalism with Warmth
The Antwerp-based designer lends his unique touch to homes, boutiques and offices in Belgium, the United States and Germany, as well as furniture for B&B Italia and Molteni.