Pair of Croisillon Armchairs Attributed to Jean Royère, France, 1950s

"Tout Bois” armchair - 1940/50s - Armchair in stained Beech, recognizable base profile, curved armrests, oval backrest and seat in thermoformed Beech plywood, visible screws. Attributed to the Ateliers Jean Prouvé - Based on previous sales, their provenance, and verification by the particular gallery. Provenance: Medical university near Paris. Normal wear and tear due to age - very good condition. Overall dimensions: Depth: +/- 43 cm Width: +/- 53 cm Height: +/- 81 cm Jean Prouvé's "Tout Bois" chair was an all-wood version of his famous steel "Standard Chair." Because the exigencies of world war made supplies of steel unobtainable in 1942, Prouvé redesigned the chair to use as little metal as possible (the eight screws which fasten the seat and back are the only parts not made of wood). The switch from steel to wood gave Prouvé an opportunity to experiment with traditional furniture-making methods that were paradoxically new to him, the Machine Age Pioneer. Lovely through-tenons conspicuously join the horizontal members (that support the seat) to the rear legs, and also the front cross-bar to the front legs. Though consistent with the modernist ethic of structural honesty, such labor-intensive joinery links Prouvé to the craftsmen of an older era...

A composition of sculptural poise and mid-century clarity, this Italian lounge suite distills the language of 1960s design into a restrained yet expressive gesture. Comprised of two ...