Eames Navy Blue Shell Herman Miller Rocking Chair, 1962
View Similar Items
Eames Navy Blue Shell Herman Miller Rocking Chair, 1962
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1962
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Washington, DC
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU106321760712
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
- Carl Auböck Atom VaseBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Washington, DCImpressive solid brass Atom vase by Carl Auböck. Signed to undersigned.Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBrass
$563 Sale Price24% Off - Aluminum Nut Cracker by Pierre Mandel, France, 1970sBy Pierre VandelLocated in Washington, DCWonderful functional sculptural nut cracker by French designer by Pierre Vandel. Made in solid aluminum.Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsAluminum
$245 Sale Price30% Off - Carl Auböck Horn BowlBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Washington, DCImpressive large horn bowl by Austrian designer Carl Auböck. Bowl measures 8.5" x 3".Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsHorn
$520 Sale Price20% Off - Ceramic Vase by Tim KeenanBy Tim KeenanLocated in Washington, DCBeautiful ceramic vase by Tim Keenan. Condition is excellent.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Vases
MaterialsCeramic
$358 Sale Price34% Off - Pre-Columbian Narino BowlLocated in Washington, DCFine Pre-Columbian Narino footed bowl from Columbia, circa 850 to 1500. Desirable polychrome bowl with vibrant color.Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Colombian Antiquities
MaterialsCeramic
- Miguel Berrocal Puzzle Sculpture La Mini CariatideBy Miguel Ortiz BerrocalLocated in Washington, DCIntricate puzzle sculpture by Spanish artist Miguel Berrocal. Sculpture consists of 25 pieces, plus a wearable ring with a brass heart design. Comes complete with original box and book.Category
Vintage 1960s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBrass
$1,200 Sale Price31% Off
- Herman Miller Eames RAR Rocking ChairBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYVintage Eames molded fiberglass shell in the fairest color of them all, Seafoam Green. Original top circa late 1950s-early 1960s. On later metal and wood base, in good condition with...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
- Zenith Shell Rocking Chair RAR by Eames for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Sagaponack, NYThe iconic rocker: Zenith Shell Rocking Chair RAR designed by Charles and Ray Eames featuring the iconic organically shaped fiberglass shell resting ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1950s Eames for Herman Miller Fiberglass Ivory Parchment Shell RAR Rocking ChairBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Ferndale, MICharles and Ray Eames design for Herman Miller. RAR ( Rocking Arm steel Rod ) chair. Late 1950s production chair second generation shock mounts . Date stamp looks to be 1958 . Fine ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Eames Rocking Chair for Herman Miller, 1970sBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in HEVERLEE, BEMid century rocking chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames and produced by Herman Miller. Fiberglass shell with red fabric upholstery and a black metal and wooden base. 1970s - ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Fiberglass
- Vintage Eames Wire Rocking Chair for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Cincinnati, OHA rare satin black metal wire Eames rocking chair with birch wood runners and dark charcoal Naugahyde upholstered seat cover. The chair retains the fa...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWire
- Eames RAR Parchment Rocking Chair for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYParchment fiberglass RAR rocking chair by Charles and Ray Eames and manufactured by Herman Miller. Clean shell with no cracks or holes. Signed Herman Miller and guaranteed authentic....Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.