Leather Rhinoceros Footstool or Rhino by Dimitri Omersa for Liberty
View Similar Items
Leather Rhinoceros Footstool or Rhino by Dimitri Omersa for Liberty
About the Item
- Creator:Dimitri Omersa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Width: 22.84 in (58 cm)Depth: 7.88 in (20 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU957320888712
Dimitri Omersa
Omersa is best known for its iconic leather footstools and decorative objects that take on animal forms. The British furniture brand appropriately began with a pig.
Legend has it that a man named “Old Bill” worked for eclectic department store Liberty of London and wanted to use leftover scraps of leather from handmade luggage to craft an animal-shaped footstool. The first swine-shaped ottoman was born in 1927. Decades later, in 1958, Yugoslavian native Dimitri Omersa had found work in the leather industry in a town in Hertfordshire after time spent imprisoned in the years following World War II. He was working for an independent leather company when he and Bill crossed paths. Taking a shine to one another, Dimitri took over production of the playful leather pig footstools and ottomans for Liberty, and Old Bill retired.
Omersa’s line of animal-themed furnishings expanded to include donkeys, elephants and more. The company made these home accessories in the United Kingdom specifically for Liberty until the mid-1970s and the ears of the lovable leather creatures that were produced during the era are said to have been adorned with the retailer’s branding. A leather badge now appears on the furnishings that is inclusive of the name Omersa as well as the year of manufacture.
Today Omersa creates bespoke leather stools, desktop accessories and other seating in various animal shapes. The company’s artisans rely on traditional methods to craft each of their pieces by hand, paying particular attention to sustainable practices. To this day, Liberty continues to stock the Omersa animals it has carried since the 1930s.
In 1963, the animals crossed the pond to America and won a gold medal at the California State Fair. The mid-1960s saw a relationship take shape between Omersa and Abercrombie & Fitch — long before it transformed into a clothing mecca for teens in the 1990s and early 2000s — while the 1980s saw Omersa forge a partnership with Scully and Scully, a purveyor of luxury furniture and decor founded in New York City.
Dimitri Omersa passed away in 1975, but the animals continued to be produced by his wife Inge for another decade.
While the ownership of the business has changed hands more than once since then, Omersa’s artisans continue to create a range of animal-shaped decorative objects and furnishings that include sheep, cows, horses and more. Annual production is limited, and each piece, made with top grain cowhide leather sourced from an environmentally responsible UK tannery and stuffed with the wood wool of European pine trees, is designed and produced by local craftspersons in Lincolnshire, England.
Find authentic Dimitri Omersa leather animals, decorative objects, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Matched Pair of 18th Century French Giltwood FootstoolsLocated in London, GBA fine matched pair of eighteenth century giltwood footstools of oval form, with carved guilloche decoration to the seat rail, intersected with paterae above four gadrooned and taper...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century French Footstools
MaterialsGiltwood
- A Set of Large Brass Fire Tools or Fire IronsLocated in London, GBA good scale set of three brass and steel fire tools with moulded shafts.Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
MaterialsBrass, Steel
$6,404 / set - 19th Century French Empire Mahogany Brown Wood Fauteuils or Armchairs Red, PairLocated in London, GBA pair of 19th century Empire mahogany fauteuils, with unusual back splats carved with a roundel of laurel leaves to the centre, layered on top of a Greek lyre form, the seats uphols...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Empire Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- A William IV 19th Century Opaline Glass White Table or Desk LampLocated in London, GBEngland, circa 1840 An unusual mid nineteenth century white opaline glass column lamp with gilt bronze mounts and unusual onion shaped cowl shade. Total height 57.00cm Width of ba...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English William IV Table Lamps
MaterialsOrmolu
- A 19th Century Spanish Tooled Leather Domed CasketLocated in London, GBSpain, 1890 A late nineteenth century Spanish wood and leather casket with foliate tooling throughout, the domed top depicting the Greek figures Scylla and Charybdis, the borders li...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Decorative Boxes
MaterialsIron
- Twisted Brass and Black Leather Table Lamp after Jacques AdnetBy Jacques AdnetLocated in London, GBAn unusual twisted brass column lamp mounted on a square black leather base, after Jacques Adnet. Please note: lampshade not included. Currently wired for the UK.Category
Early 20th Century French Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Dimitri Omersa Rhino Footstool for Abercrombie & FitchBy Dimitri OmersaLocated in San Francisco, CADimitri Omersa design leather Rhino footstool for Abercrombie & Fitch. The best condition example available on the market today and the competitively ...Category
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Footstools
MaterialsLeather
- Vintage Omersa for Abercrombie & Fitch Rhino or Rhinoceros Leather FootstoolBy Abercrombie & FitchLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine vintage leather footstool. Designed by Daniel Omersa for Abercrombie & Fitch in the 1960's. In the form of a standing rhinoceros with its signature folded eyes, floppy ears,...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Footstools
MaterialsLeather
- LIBERTY'S LONDON OMERSA LEATHER RHINOCEROS RHiNO FOOTSTOOL STOOL GLASS EYESBy Omersa, Liberty of LondonLocated in GBRoyal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this small absolutely sublime original 1930’s Liberty’s London Omersa leather hand dyed stool Please note ...Category
Vintage 1930s North American Art Deco Footstools
MaterialsLeather
$1,383 Sale Price20% Off - Leather Elephant Small Footstool, by Dimitri Omersa, 1960sBy Dimitri OmersaLocated in Delft, NLLeather Elephant small footstool, by Dimitri Omersa, 1960s An Elephant footstool, made in brown leather and firmly filled with straw, by Dimitri Omersa, 1960s The elephant was the first piece designed by Dimitri Omersa when it took over the art of making leather animals from “old bill...Category
20th Century British Footstools
MaterialsLeather
- 77" Leather 'Superking' Rhino by Dimitri Omersa for Abercrombie & Fitch, SignedBy Dimitri Omersa, Abercrombie & FitchLocated in Los Angeles, CAA very-rare and original collectors example of the monumentally sized 77" rhinoceros footstool by Dimitri Omersa for Abercrombie and Fitch, circa 1960s. This example is signed with the 'A&F Co' stamp underside one ear, and is in beautiful lightly aged and patinated condition. Incredibly rare and sought-after, this is the pinnacle pièce de résistance of Omersa collecting. Sturdy and structurally sound, this monumental rhino is ready to be used as a stool or bench for one to two people as it can support the weight of two adults - the interior is built with a steel frame, or use as a designer floor or tabletop sculpture or a friendly companion for an otherwise lonely house dog or cat. Some creative ways to use this Dimitri Omersa footstool is as an ottoman next to a coffee table, a foot stool or armrest next to your favorite lounge chair or reading armchair or use as dining table bench seating for one side of the table. Omersa's designed leather animals...Category
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Footstools
MaterialsLeather
- Largest Leather Rhino Stool by Dimitri Omersa for Abercrombie & Fitch, SignedBy Dimitri Omersa, Abercrombie & FitchLocated in Lisse, NLA wonderful and original collectors example of the large-size rhinoceros footstool by Dimitri Omersa for Abercrombie and Fitch. This impressive size and highly decorative design Rhi...Category
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Footstools
MaterialsLeather, Glass
