Italian Renaissance Chair

These over-scaled chairs were said to have been designed by Chicago architect Sam Marx, but they were probably made by William Quigley, whose workshop ...

The “Maximilian Lounge Chair” was John Vesey’s finest and most celebrated chair design — it was also his most expensive one to produce, and appeared in a 1959 issue of Vogue. The aluminum frame was wrought rather than cast, solid rather than assembled, and polished to a seamless satiny sheen. An industrial-aluminum screen supports the black-leather upholstery tufted in a pattern that harks back to the 19th century. So too does the chair’s form that’s based on low-slung Latin American planters’ chairs. One that belonged to the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian of Mexico...

An 18th century chaise percée, from the bathroom of Baron Max Fould-Springer, Palais Abbatial de Royaumont and by descent his sister Baroness Elie (Lilia...

This 1930s Italian bench is so over-scaled, and monumental in appearance, that it seems to have been made for the large room it was destined, rather than the comfort of a typical sitter. As such, it would function equally well as a low side table or a high cocktail table. We’ll allow the buyer to determine its use. The designer was Pierluigi Colli, and the fabricator Martinotti, the Turin furniture and interior decorating firm that was established in 1831, and exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition and the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair. Colli’s family owned a textile company that supplied Martinotti with upholstery fabrics, suggesting nepotism had something to do with his being hired as the firm's director in 1926. Nevertheless, he proved himself worthy as a designer and a businessman. Having studied in Paris at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, he befriended leading French designers, and arranged for Martinotti to retail Lalique glass and Jean Perzel lighting. In addition, the quality of their work, and Colli’s dedication to the modern design movement, prompted Carlo Mollino, Gio Ponti, and Gino Levi-Montalcini, among others, to have Martinotti fabricate some of their furniture. Colli’s claim to fame, however, is his own work as a designer, and his ability to master the vocabularies of every trend from Art Deco to midcentury modern. During the Great Depression, when nearly every nation floundered economically, fascist Italy...

Antique Italian Renaissance style chair. Well carved 19th century Italian Renaissance style carved walnut chair. This antique Italian Savonarola armchair or side chair is upholstered in neutral linen. This versatile Italian Gothic style chair...

This chayère chair of beautiful proportions stands on a rectangular box base enriched by vermiculure motifs executed in flat-plane. This base is topped by a moulding of strong gadroo...

Pair of Italian Renaissance style Venetian (20th Cent) pine carnival viewing sgabello style side chairs with a Pair carved heads on back.

An Italian Renaissance style walnut Savonarola folding chair from circa 1900 with lion paw feet. This Italian Renaissance style Savonarola chair, dating back to circa 1900, is a sple...