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Pierre Jeanneret 'Senat' Chair Designed for Chandigarh's High Court, 1959-60

About the Item

Authentic original unrestored Pierre Jeanneret 'Senat' chair finished in beautifully grained Teak wood with old damaged leatherette upholstery. The 'Senat' chairs were primarily designed for the high court of Chandigarh although they were also used in smaller numbers among some of the other administrative buildings contained within Chandigarh. This is a nice, honest and structurally sound authentic example, ripe for restoration. Jeanneret employed local artisans to hand fabricate these chairs and several variations of the 'Senat' chair were produced with model designations 'A',' B', ''C' etc. This is the harder to find 91cm tall (35.83 inches) high back model, we found examples of the same high back model for sale at the exclusive ' Galerie Patrrick Seguin' in Paris, a world renowned Jeanneret specialist, and we bow to his detailed knowledge, Seguin dates this particular model/construction to 1959-60. Please refer to image 2 to compare. Although the current leatherette upholstery is clearly very old we have been able to determine that this chair had actually been reupholstered once before during it's lifetime. The very old and original type of early latex foam , left in place from the original upholstery, is still clearly visible attached to the chair's wood structure, you can see that when this chair was reupholstered in the current black leatherette the upholsterer just placed a layer of a more modern darker tone foam straight on top of the original latex foam. Please refer to image 4. Given the plethora of Jeanneret knock offs or modern copies offered on the market we have decided to leave this genuine mid century example in completely original unrestored condition so prospective clients can be be sure of the mid century authenticity and provenance of this example. The chair clearly needs to be completely reupholstered, it's teal wood frame has some surface blemishes commensurate with age and use and is still structurally strong and sound . We are happy to undertake the reupholstery for you should you wish. Please reach out for estimates of the cost to reupholster the chair for you. According to Chandigarh heritage there were two phases in Chandigarh’s furniture, an initial one , which was closely supervised by Jeanneret and his team and a second phase, in the late 1960s after his death ,during which his technical office was dissolved and the city administration replaced the original ,now well worn furniture, for lesser quality pseudo copies with no unified vision. The original furniture was designed for a specific place and that was not followed during this later phase, in addition the new carpenters were not faithful or accurate to the original designs. The wood used became of a lesser quality and the models begin to degenerate from Jeanneret's original vision .During this period 1970-2000 the city gradually falls into oblivion and the administration did not take care of its heritage, leaving Jeanneret's original worn furniture to deteriorate further due to the lack of maintenance. The original ,now very deteriorated and damaged furniture was then largely removed and left in storage with no care . LITERATURE: Le Corbusier Pierre Jeanneret, Chandigarh, India, Galerie Patrick Seguin, ppg. 158-63 Le Corbusier Pierre Jeanneret: The Indian Adventure, Design-Art-Architecture, Touchaleaume and Moreau, ppg. 563-64 CHANDIGARH HISTORY In January 1951 , following India's independence from British colonial rule in 1947 ,Pierre Jeanneret joined the team commissioned by the Indian government to build 'Chandigarh', the city of the future, and the new capital of Punjab, India alongside his cousin Le Corbusier and the architects Maxwell Fry, and Jane Drew. The layout of Chandigarh mimicked the human body in its arrangement. Government and administrative buildings stood high above the rest, like a head, while the business district was the bustling heart of the city and the centrally located industrial structures were the organs of the city. Factories and educational facilities extended to either side like arms, and residences and greenery made up the outskirts. The entirety was divided into 56 sectors, with some streets open to cars and others dedicated only to pedestrians. The symbolic monument of the city is La Main Ouverte, a sheet metal sculpture of a hand raised towards the sky, created by Le Corbusier as a gift and sign of peace. On the design side of things, it was Jeanneret who created the furniture and interior furnishings of institutional buildings. Jeanneret directly involved local artisans and designed using native woods, which were more suited to the climate and would last longer. Le Corbusier and Jeanneret shared the idea that design should complement everyday life, and this vision was realised in Chandigarh. The furniture was site specific, combining minimalist forms and simple materials in a way that, today, represent the distinctive legacy of modernism and the changing designs of the twentieth century. Jeanneret continued to work with Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew until 1954, then on his own with the Chandigarh architects and engineers office , he worked for fifteen years on Chandigarh ,right through to 1965, before ill health force him to return home to France.This project profoundly influenced Jeanneret, who remained in India even after his work was completed. He died in Europe in December 1967, but, as according to his will, his ashes were later dispersed in Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh, an artificial basin created in 1958 during the planning of the city. During this extensive period 1951-65 Jeanneret produced numerous projects in Chandigargh both individual and collective accommodation covering the full range of social classes, the Chandigarh Architects’ Agency, schools, university dormitories, hospitals, library, etc. Jeanneret also designed furniture for Chandigarh’s public buildings: High Court, Secretariat, Legislative Assembly, Library, etc. He also designed the 'Gandhi Bhavan' memorial to Gandhi. In addition to Chandigarh, Jeanneret undertook other urban development and architectural work in India, in Pandoh, Sundernagar, Slapper, Ahmedabad, and Talwara .Throughout these years, in addition to his own work, Pierre Jeanneret coordinated the project management for the iconic and monumental esplanade designed for the Capitol by Le Corbusier, including the Legislative Assembly, the High Court, the Secretariat, and other, more modest building such as the museum and the school of architecture. BIOGRAPHY TIMELINE , PIERRE JEANNERET (1896-1967) 1896 : 22 March: Pierre Jeanneret is born in Geneva. 1913-1919 Studies architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, with a period of service in the Swiss Army during 1916–17. 1920 January: leaves Switzerland and works for the Perret brothers in Paris .Designs the covers for the magazine 'L’Esprit nouveau', founded that October. 1921 uly: while continuing work with the Perrets, he begins to work on the Berque commission with Le Corbusier (the pseudonym adopted a year earlier by his cousin Charles-Édouard Jeanneret). Berque house project (Paris). Salon d’Automne in Paris: he shows plans for a modern city of 3 million people. Apartment block/villas program for the Société Franco-Américaine. Gault house project (Paris). 1923-1924 Besnus house (Vaucresson). Ozenfant artist’s studio (Paris). Raoul La Roche and Lotti Raaf-Jeanneret house (Paris). Studios for sculptors Lipchitz, Mietschaninoff and Canale (Boulogne-sur-Seine). 1924: During the summer, he and Le Corbusier move into 35 Rue de Sèvres (Paris). The Frugès commission in Pessac sees them working with a team for the first time. 1925-1927 Cité Frugès (Pessac). Apartment block/villas program and the Voisin Plan for Paris (1925). L’Esprit nouveau pavilion (Paris, 1925). Palais du Peuple dormitory (Paris, 1926). Minimum house project (1926). Cook house (Boulogne-sur-Seine, 1926), Guiette house (Antwerp, 1926). Two houses for Weissenhof in Stuttgart (1927). Plainex houses (Paris, 1927). Competition for the League of Nations building in Geneva (1927). Is eliminated after the second phase. October 1927: Charlotte Perriand begins working with them at 35 Rue de Sèvres (Paris). 1928-1929 Church house (Ville d’Avray). Creation of a line of furnishings by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand: “Tubes d’avion” table, closets, armchair with tilting back, tilting chaise longue, “Grand confort” armchair (1928). Villa Savoye (Poissy, 1929-31). Loucheur houses. Centrosoyuz office block (Moscow). Stand at the Salon d’Automne (Paris, 1929): Fixtures 1930-1933 Clarté apartment block (Geneva, 1930-32). Villa for Madame de Mandrot (near Toulon, 1931). Palace of the Soviets (Moscow, 1931). De Beistegui penthouse (Paris, 1931). Swiss Pavilion at the Cité Universitaire (Paris, 1932-33). Cité du Refuge (Paris, 1932-33). Apartment block for the Paris-Parc des Princes real estate company, Rue Nungesser-et-Coli (Paris, 1932-34). Project for the Schweiz Rentenanstalt building (Zurich, 1933). Summer 1933: 4th CIAM congress in Athens. Jeanneret travels aboard the Massilia from Marseille to Athens. Excursions in the Peloponnesus with Charlotte Perriand. 1934-1935 Urbanization projects for Stockholm, Antwerp, Algiers, Nemours, Zlin. Various city and state competitions. Peyron holiday house (Les Mathes). Ferme Radieuse cooperative village project. Furnishings for a bachelor apartment at the Exposition Universelle (Brussels, 1935). Weekend house in the suburbs. 1936-1937 Redevelopment of slum district no. 6 (Paris). Cartesian skyscraper project. Centre National de Réjouissance (National Center for Celebration) for 100,000 participants in the Bois de Vincennes. As part of the preparations for the 1937 International Exhibition: Project A – housing exhibition Project B – Unité d’Habitation: the Bastion Kellermann housing block Project C – Center for Contemporary Aesthetics for the exhibition Project D – Pavillon des Temps Nouveaux also known as the Musée d’Éducation Populaire. Prototype of the sanitary unit shown in the Union des Artistes Modernes pavilion, with Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand. Project for a dry mounted aluminum bivouac shelter, with Charlotte Perriand and engineer A. Tournon. Spring 1937: Charlotte Perriand leaves the studio at 35 rue de Sèvres. 1938-1939 Ideal Home Exhibition (London). “Unlimited growth” museum. “Maison à sec”. Winter sport resort in the Vallée de Vars. Biology research station (Roscoff). Late 1939: designs light buildings for war refugees. Projects forportal frame buildings with Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé (temporary schools, village club, housing, etc.). 12 December 1939: creation of the Bureau Central de Construction (BCC) by Georges Blanchon, with Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, and Jean Prouvé. 1939-1940 Demountable portal frame structures for the SCAL at Issoire, with Jean Prouvé: housing, dormitories, club, design building, refectory, infirmary, offices, etc. House projects for the S.P.A (Lannemezan, 1940). May 1940: Charlotte Perriand leaves for Japan. June-December 1940: stays at Ozon in southwestern France with Le Corbusier and his wife Yvonne. 5 December 1940: Pierre Jeanneret joins the BCC in Grenoble; Le Corbusier remains aloof. 1941-1944 Furniture for Georges Blanchon’s office (sideboard, table, desk, screen). F 8×8 BCC houses with Jean Prouvé (1941-42) in Saint-Auban, Gardanne, Salindres, Brignoles, Lunel, Bédarieux. Furniture including a table for Jean Prouvé’s family (Nancy). TCD house. S4F house. V5 house. “101” transportable house. Furniture and fittings for the home of the sports director at the Solvay plant in Dombasle. Furnishings for the L’Équipement de la Maison company which takes them over and expands the BCC catalog. Designs the acronym for the FFI (French Forces of the Interior). Designs the École des Cadres (Uriage). F 8×8 – BAPJ house with Jean Prouvé (1944). 1945-1946 Urban development project for Grenoble on the Fort Robeau site. Refits the Isère département Prefecture building. Office block project for the Lion Noir company (Lyon). 17 October 1946: he declines Le Corbusier’s invitation to join the ATBAT constructors group. Trip to the United States: crosses the country with Alexander Calder. Contract with Knoll for “Chair 92”. 1947-1949 Master plan for Puteaux. Project for a block of 200 apartments (Puteaux). Projects for chalets in the Alps. Project for the FT house in the Paris suburbs. Called on by Le Corbusier for the renovation of the facades of the Swiss pavilion at the Cité Internationale Universitaire and the Cité du Refuge (Paris). Plouet house (Ile de Bréhat). Refuses again to join the ATBAT. Vocational High School (Béziers, with Domingo Escorsa). Holiday house project (Frontignan). 1951-1965 January 1951: Pierre Jeanneret joins the team commissioned by the Indian government to build Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab, with Le Corbusier, Maxwell Fry, and Jane Drew. Works with Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew until 1954, then on his own with the Chandigarh architects and engineers office. Numerous programs: individual and collective accommodations for all social classes, the Chandigarh Architects’ Agency, schools, university dormitories, hospitals, library, etc. Furniture for Chandigarh’s public buildings: High Court, Secretariat, Legislative Assembly, Library, etc. Gandhi Bhavan, memorial to Gandhi. Boat prototypes. In addition to Chandigarh, he undertakes urban development and architectural work in Pandoh, Sundernagar, Slapper, Ahmedabad, and Talwara. Throughout these years, in addition to his own work, Pierre Jeanneret coordinates the oversight teams for the monumental esplanade designed for the Capitol by Le Corbusier, notably including the Legislative Assembly, the High Court, the Secretariat, and other, more modest building such as the museum and the school of architecture. 1965 August: for health reasons he returns to live with his niece Jacqueline Jeanneret in Switzerland. 1967 4 December: Pierre Jeanneret dies in Geneva.

Creator:

Pierre Jeanneret (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 35.83 in (91 cm)Width: 23.23 in (59 cm)Depth: 25.4 in (64.5 cm)Seat Height: 20.48 in (52 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Teak,Upholstery,Hand-Crafted

Place of Origin:

India

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

1959-1960

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Condition Good to fair, the Teak wood frame is in good condition and structurally strong , there is some surface wear to the wood commensurate with age and use, the upholstery requires complete renovation, a fine example ready for restoration.

Seller Location:

bergen op zoom, NL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU930125761702

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Shop All Pierre Jeanneret

Pierre Jeanneret

If his famed cousin and longtime colleague Charles-Édouard Jeanneret — better known as Le Corbusier — was the visionary, then Pierre Jeanneret was the member of the architecture and design team who got things done. In recent years, Jeanneret has emerged from Le Corbusier’s shadow, as collectors have discovered his simple and striking furniture creations.

Jeanneret studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva and after he graduated in 1921 he became a partner in Le Corbusier’s office in Paris. The pair collaborated on numerous residential projects, most notably the Villa Savoye, the iconic modernist house in suburban Paris completed in 1931. Jeanneret also worked with the great Charlotte Perriand on the Grand Modele line of tubular metal furnishings that was a sensation at the annual Salon d’Automne design expo in 1929. A rift developed between Jeanneret and his cousin during World War II, as the former joined the French resistance, while Le Corbusier cooperated with the occupying authorities in Vichy. The two did not work together again until 1950, when Le Corbusier persuaded Jeanneret to help execute the master plan for the new city of Chandigarh in Punjab, India. Jeanneret lived and worked there until the final years of his life.

A hallmark of Jeanneret’s furniture designs is his great sensitivity to materials. In contrast to the tubular-steel chairs produced by Marcel Breuer and other members of the Bauhaus, the chromed metal pieces designed by Jeanneret and Perriand — including such as the now-classic LC4 chaise longue and the Grand Confort lounge chair — have a sensuous, relaxed and welcoming look. Conversely, while Jeanneret uses essentially geometric forms for his wooden seating pieces, they exude warmth by nature of the material.

One of Jeanneret’s first manufactured designs in wood is the Model 92 Scissors chair, licensed by Hans and Florence Knoll when they were touring postwar France. But Jeanneret’s finest work in furniture was done in Chandigarh, and these are the pieces that have earned him recent renown. Crafted of teak, the designs range from low-slung lounge chairs and armchairs with cane seats to desks and tables, most with Jeanneret’s signature drafting compass-shaped legs. Many such pieces on the market today are refurbished, having been found by dealers languishing in scrapyards in India in the late 1990s. Chandigarh is now taking better care of its modernist heritage, making available Jeanneret works all the rarer.

Find authentic vintage Pierre Jeanneret chairs, tables and other furniture today on 1stDibs.