Set of Eight Leather Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini
View Similar Items
Set of Eight Leather Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.3 in (82.05 cm)Width: 24.4 in (61.98 cm)Depth: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Seat Height: 17.7 in (44.96 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 8
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1977
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Recent repairs to two out of eight chairs.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU119426671913
Mario Bellini
Milan-born architect and designer Mario Bellini just may be the closest thing to a modern-day Renaissance man: His creative output spans genres, from electronics to furniture to architecture to cars, comprising iconic designs in each. Vintage Mario Bellini sofas, dining chairs and other seating pieces are widely coveted, and the designer has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro awards. More than 20 of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Born in 1935, Bellini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan before founding his own firm in his native city in the early 1960s. He soon branched out beyond architecture, however, first for the tech manufacturer Olivetti, where he served as chief industrial design consultant from 1963 to 1991. During that time, Bellini oversaw the design of some of Olivetti’s most popular typewriters.
His penchant for electronic design didn’t stop there: Bellini also designed cameras for Fuji, televisions for Brionvega and a slew of audio devices for Yamaha, then served as design consultant for Renault and devised the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi for Fiat. Meanwhile, his architecture work spans continents, including such modern gems as the Museum of Islamic Arts at the Louvre, the National Gallery of Victoria extension in Melbourne, the Dubai Creek Complex and the Milan Convention Centre in his hometown.
And then there’s the furniture: Over the last 70 years, Bellini has designed office furniture for Vitra; lamps for Artemide, Erco and FLOS; porcelain for Rosenthal and long-admired sofas and other seating for Kartell, Natuzzi, B&B Italia, Cassina and more.
His oft-imitated 1977 Cab chair for Cassina, comprising 16 individual pieces of saddle leather that create a “skin” over a minimal metal frame, remains one of the manufacturer’s best sellers today. His pudgy-legged, round tables for Cassina foreshadow Faye Toogood’s widely loved Roly Poly line. His postmodern Summa armchairs for Kartell, as well as his elegant Chiara floor lamp, still lure collectors on vintage furniture websites.
Bellini’s most famous contribution to furniture design, though, may be his 1970 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia (then C&B Italia). An entrant to the 1972 MoMA show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” the seat takes its name from the Italian words for chameleon and wave. Its bulbous, modular form makes it infinitely flexible. The sofa was a runaway hit at the show and, once discontinued, remained so popular among vintage dealers that B&B Italia reissued it in 2020 with all recycled materials and interchangeable seat covers. “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom,” Bellini said.
Browse an expansive collection of vintage Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- Camaleonda Sofa by Mario BelliniBy Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CACamaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. Made in Italy circa 1970s. PRICED PER ITEM Half piece: 27” H x 26” W x 37.5” D Or...Category
Vintage 1970s Sofas
MaterialsMohair
$6,500 / item - Set of Eight "T Chairs" by Katavolos, Littell and Kelley for LaverneBy Douglas Kelly, Ross Littell and William KatavolosLocated in Los Angeles, CASet of eight patinated leather T-Chairs by William Katavolos, Ross Littel and Douglas Kelley for Laverne Originals. Made in USA, circa 1952.Category
Vintage 1950s American Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Camaleonda Sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B ItaliaBy Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CACamaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. Made in Italy circa 1970s. PRICED PER ITEM. Original Label intact.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsMohair
$6,500 / item - Set of Six "Meribel" Chairs by Charlotte PerriandBy Charlotte PerriandLocated in Los Angeles, CASet of six "Meribel" chairs by Charlotte Perriand. Made in France, circa 1950s. Literature: J. Barsac, "Charlotte Perriand, Un art d'ha...Category
Vintage 1950s French Chairs
MaterialsRush, Ash
$42,000 / set - Early Set of Four Superleggera Chairs by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Los Angeles, CAHistorical set of four Superleggera chairs by Gio Ponti with original caning and black lacquered wood frame. Made in Italy circa 1957.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Wood
$10,200 / set - Pair of Lounge Chairs by René GabrielBy Rene GabrielLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of ebonized oak armchairs by René Gabriel. Made in France circa 1950s. These chairs have been reupholstered in black cowhide.Category
Vintage 1950s French Armchairs
MaterialsOak
$30,000 / set
- Set of Eight Cassina Cab Leather Chairs by Mario BelliniBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Southampton, NYBeautiful set of eight Cab Chairs in leather hide, designed by Mario Bellini in 1976. Manufactured by Cassina in circa 1990s. The set consists of eight cab 412 dining chairs covered ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini for Cassina Set of Four Black 'Cab' Dining Chairs in LeatherBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLMario Bellini for Cassina, set of four 'cab' dining chairs model 412, black leather, Italy, 1976 Set of four chairs designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina in 1976. Conceptually, the ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mario Bellini Cab Arm Chair for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis iconic chair designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina c.1970s, Italy, features the original deep red saddle leather which is wrapped atop a steel frame. The back legs feature a bla...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mario Bellini for Cassina 'CAB 413' Dining Chairs in LeatherBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Waalwijk, NLMario Bellini for Cassina, armchairs, model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, designed in 1979 The iconic ‘CAB’ chairs were designed by Mario Bellini in 1979. Conceptually new was the way ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- CAB Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 6By Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Rivoli, ITMario Bellini 412 "CAB" dining chairs for Cassina, bordeaux leather, Italy, 1978, set of six. Very good conditions One of the most iconic Bellini's creations, "CAB" is the world’s first free-standing cowhide design chair, informed by the relationship between the skeleton and the skin; an authentic example of production excellence that requires multiple stages of artisan workmanship to create a trendy tailored-to-fit object. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. Individually die-cut, they then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit. Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair’s steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening, as in a bespoke tailored...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$10,962 / set - 1970s Italian Cab Armchair by Mario Bellini for Cassina in Black LeatherBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn Italian Mid-Century Modern armchair designed by Mario Bellini featuring handstitched black leather upholstery wrapped over internal steel frame. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy, ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Who Is Mario Bellini, and Why Is His 1970s Camaleonda Sofa Everywhere Right Now?
Get the lowdown on the ultrachic modular sofas that are currently taking up real estate in your Instagram saved folder.
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.