Superb Zanuso 'Lady' Chairs, Early Wood Frames with First Edition Ottoman

View Similar Items

Marco Zanuso 'Lady' Chairs, Early Arflex Edition, circa 1951

Zanuso Mohair 'Baby' Lounge Chairs, Early Wood Frames, Brass Legs, Arflex, 1951

Beige Suede Leather Lounge Chair with Matching Ottoman

Early Marco Zanuso Lady Chair, Italy, 1960s, New Pure Mohair

Low Hunting Lounge Chair with Ottoman in Oak and Red Upholstery

Vintage Marco Zanuso Lady Lounge Chairs, Pair

Marco Zanuso Lady Chair Arflex, Italy, 1951

Marco Zanuso Armchair Lady

Davis Allen Square Chair and Ottoman by McGuire

Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Lounge Chair and Ottoman, circa 1960s

Mid-Century Modern Tan Leather Egg Style Wide Back Lounge Chair & Ottoman

Apollo Chair and Ottoman by Svend Skipper for Skippers Mobler

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 11

Superb Zanuso 'Lady' Chairs, Early Wood Frames with First Edition Ottoman

About the Item

Superb pair of fully restored, very early production 'wood frame' 'Lady' lounge chairs with matching super rare early edition ottoman designed by Italian architect Marco Zanuso for Arflex, Italy in 1951. These 'lady' chairs are very early examples from the very first few years of production which are recognised by their artisan made wood frames which command a premium in the collector market, these early artisan made wood frames were quickly superseded by welded pressed steel frames which were far more economical to produce, this production detail is fully documented in Baroni's 1981 bible on the history of Arflex 'Arflex 51-81', The matching very early edition ottoman is recognised by its square profile seat with flat underside and is documented on page 38 of the October 1959 issue of 'Rivista dell arredamento', Please see image 2. We can provide a copy of the relevant page which documents this production detail to the buyer. We have full photographic documentation of the restoration process including photos of the stripped bare wood frames before reupholstery as proof. The pair of 'lady' chairs are signed with the early original fabric Arflex labels which we saved from the original upholstery during the restoration process. The chairs and ottoman have undergone a full ground up restoration, starting by stripping them right back to their bare frames. They have been lovingly reupholstered in beautiful Danish Kvadrat 'Hallingdall 65' wool fabric designed by Nanna Ditzel including completely new Pirelli rubber webbing and expensive latex foam rubber as per the original specification. The Dimensions of the chairs are listed in the dimensions section of the listing. The Dimensions of the rare ottoman are: Length 23.6 " (60 cm) Long X 19.68 " (50 cm) Deep X 15.35 " (39cm) High The 'lady' chair won the Gold Medal prize at the 1951 'IX Triennale' international design exhibition in Milan and the entire cover page of Domus' January 1953 issue was devoted to Zanuso's 'Lady' and 'Senior' chairs. The 'Lady' armchair was amongst the very first to exploit the aesthetic possibilities made available by Pirelli's new foam rubber and elastic products . The new materials' potential to create soft curves and lightness made it ideal for translating the modern streamlined aesthetic into comfortable seating. Literature: 'Arflex 51-81', pages 8,9,10, D.Baroni, A.Lucini & C, Milan, 1981 Domus, January 1953, Cover page. 'Il Mobile Italiano Degli Anni '40 e '50', de Guttry and Maino, pg. 282 'Repertorio 1950-1980', Gramigna, pg. 65 'Italienischer mobeldesign, klassiker 1945-1985', Albrecht Bangert, pg 94 'Italian design 1870 to the present', Penny Sparke, pg 110. LITERATURE FOR EARLY EDITION OTTOMAN : 'Rivista Dell Arredamento'. October 1959, page 38. PLEASE SEE IMAGE 2.

Creator:
Marco Zanuso (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 32.29 in (82 cm)Seat Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 3
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Rubber,Steel,Wood,Wool,Enameled
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1951
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Upholstery completely restored,including new Pirelli rubber support webbing, new expensive and hard to find latex foam throughout and finished in new high quality Danish 'Hallingdal 65' fabric by Nana Ditzel..Brass legs hand polished.
Seller Location:
bergen op zoom, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU93019636111

Shop All Marco Zanuso

Marco Zanuso

Italian designer Marco Zanuso helped cement his country’s place as a world leader in furniture design that used new materials in revolutionary ways.

Zanuso was part of a generation of furniture designers who encouraged a sharp departure from the traditionalism and classicalism that reigned over the design industry before the war. These designers, who are associated with what we now call mid-century modernism, experimented with new technologies and materials to deliver on the world’s newfound need for streamlined products that represented the future.

After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1939 with a degree in architecture, Zanuso served in the Navy during World War II. Soon after the war, he opened his own design firm in Milan in 1945. He later became an editor at well-regarded design magazines Domus and Casabella.

Zanuso used this editorial platform to both promote new Italian designs as well as his own pieces, some of which he made using unconventional materials like foam and latex. For instance, his famous Lady armchair from 1951 is a composition of foam rubber and Nastro Cord, a recently invented textile band of rubberized fabric that eliminated the need for metal springs. It was one of several pieces he designed for Italian manufacturer Arflex, along with the 1949 Antropus chair and the 1951 Sleep-o-matic sofa.

Zanuso often collaborated with other like-minded creatives. From 1955 until 1957, he was Olivetti’s architect, designing factories across Brazil, and for nearly two decades, he collaborated with German designer Richard Sapper. The pair’s most famous product is the 4999 children’s chair, manufactured in the 1960s by Kartell in Italy. The stackable chair was the first to be manufactured entirely of injection-molded plastic.

Zanuso and Sapper also partnered on the 1962 Brionvega Doney 14, the first European-made portable transistor TV; its sleek, compact and curvy form deeply influenced the design of television sets that followed, which were far more sculptural in form than the rigid boxes that characterized early models.

From the 1970s onward, Zanuso taught architecture and industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He still exercised his creative talents, planning the headquarters for computer companies and renovating Italian theaters.

Each of Zanuso’s elegant works were demonstrative of a forward-looking sensibility. His projects saw an integration of novel industrial materials that not only helped emphasize the beauty of good design but also played a role in rendering these well-made products accessible to everyday consumers.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Marco Zanuso furniture, including armchairs, sofas, table lamps and other items.