Robsjohn Gibbings Brass Console Table & Nesting Stools Set for Widdicomb 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (Designer),Widdicomb Furniture Co. (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1953
- Condition:Refinished. Minor losses. Table surface has been refinished with legs remaining in unpolished original condition. Benches retain original webbing showing wear from age and use.
- Seller Location:Troy, MI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8950236429642
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
British-born designer, interior decorator and author T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905–76) was one of the great American tastemakers in the middle decades of the 20th century. Much like Edward Wormley, Robsjohn-Gibbings was a design classicist by education and inclination, but he would come to create some of the most gracious and livable modern furnishings of the era.
Robsjohn-Gibbings studied architecture at the University of London, then held various jobs that included designing décors for passenger liners and working as the art director of a film studio. In the early 1930s, while employed by the upper-crust interior designer Charles J. Duveen, Robsjohn-Gibbings experienced an epiphany during a visit to the British Museum. Examining the furniture depicted on ancient Greek ceramics — lithe stools and klismos chairs — he realized that he had found a design touchstone. By 1936, he had moved to New York and set up a showroom on Madison Avenue for his modern reinterpretations of classic Greek designs. Aided by contacts he’d developed while working with Duveen, he quickly established a clientele that included Elizabeth Arden, Doris Duke and Thelma Chrysler Foy.
Through his writings for magazines and books, Robsjohn-Gibbings earned a public following and was established as an urbane arbiter of taste. From 1943 to 1956, he produced an understated line of modernist furnishings for Widdicomb, which included one of the icons of the period: the tiered, biomorphic Mesa coffee table (1951). Robsjohn-Gibbings moved to Athens, Greece, in 1966, and created a new line of antiquity-inspired pieces for the firm Saridis. The series turned out to be his swan song.
Collectors’ interest in Robsjohn-Gibbings was reignited in the 1980s, when the 200-plus pieces from his 1936–38 commission for the Bel-Air estate of Los Angeles socialite Hilda Boldt Weber — pared-down neoclassical pieces rendered in blond wood (with the occasional flourish) — came on the market. (Up until then, the collection had remained in the house, despite its having changed hands several times.)
But his work for Widdicomb remains his most widely known, appreciated for its elegance and generous proportions. Robsjohn-Gibbings despised the stern aesthetic associated with his Bauhaus contemporaries, and a keynote of his modernist pieces is that they have no sharp angles. His chair and sofa frames, table legs and even many cabinets feature softly contoured edges. In whatever styled he designed, Robsjohn-Gibbings was guided by simplicity and timelessness. He wanted his furniture to be lived with happily.
Widdicomb Furniture Co.
Admirers of vintage mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize the Widdicomb Furniture Company name for the fruitful partnerships it forged with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. But there is more to the Widdicomb story than the albeit quite covetable sofas and bedroom furniture it produced during the middle of the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The American city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. Furniture maker George Widdicomb emigrated from England to the United States in 1845, eventually setting up a cabinet shop in Syracuse, New York, before moving west to Grand Rapids. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
The Widdicomb shop in Grand Rapids prospered, as the patriarch’s formal English training allowed him to produce pieces with superior craftsmanship compared to those of his competitors. Although the Civil War halted business and took the life of one of the Widdicomb brothers, the family’s survivors would start anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, soon renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company.
John Widdicomb, however, split from the family business in 1897 to create the John Widdicomb Company, where he would go on to focus on Louis XV- and French Provincial-style furnishings. Chairs made in these styles have distinct characteristics, such as floral motifs carved in the frames and gently angled backrests. John's company also remained a family affair: The founder’s son, Harry, assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910, while John's nephew Ralph Widdicombe — who retained the English spelling of his last name and joined the John Widdicomb Company at its start — designed every single piece of the offerings at his uncle's manufacturing outfit until he retired in 1951. Ralph was an internationally distinguished furniture designer whose modern mahogany bedroom suite won first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900.
The original iteration of Widdicomb, which was helmed by John's older brother William while John ran his own brand, had shifted from making period revival styles of furniture, such as Georgian and Chippendale, to manufacturing modern pieces in the late 1920s. Today vintage Widdicomb seating, tables and other pieces produced during the postwar years are particularly sought after by collectors of mid-20th-century furniture.
In 1959, master woodworker George Nakashima created his Origins collection for Widdicomb when the firm merged with Mueller Furniture Corporation and was known, for around 10 years, as Widdicomb-Mueller. Origins, a revered Shaker-influenced group of nightstands, upholstered lounge chairs, dining-room tables and more, saw Nakashima working with woods like Carpathian elm and laurel in his Pennsylvania studio.
Eventually, the two Widdicomb companies would combine in 1970, operating under the name John Widdicomb Co.
In 2002, the business closed after more than a century of operations, and its assets were acquired by Stickley Furniture. Interestingly, it was not the first time Widdicomb and Stickley overlapped: In the final years of the 19th century, the companies opened a shared storehouse in London, while John Widdicomb and Albert Stickley would travel Europe together for the purposes of research.
Find vintage Widdicomb coffee tables, case pieces, dining chairs and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Troy, MI
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Armchair in Walnut by TH Robsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb 1950sBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Troy, MIRobsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb Armchair Open armchair designed by Terence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb circa 1950s Sculpted frame ...Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut, Fabric
- Pair Marble & Brass Table Lamps by TH Robsjohn Gibbings for Hansen New YorkBy Hansen Lighting Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Troy, MIElegant pair of table lamps designed by TH Robsjohn Gibbings for Hansen 1950s Calcutta gold marble squared column bases with brass fittings and dual pull chain sockets Signed to diff...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Brass
- Tony Paul Wall Mount Fireplace Tool Set for Woodlin-Hall 1950sBy Tony Paul, Woodlin-HallLocated in Troy, MIRare wall mounted fire tool set designed by Tony Paul for Woodlin Hall circa 1950s Black iron tools with gold edge detailing and wooden handles I...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
MaterialsIron
- Three Brass & Vitrolite Square Side Tables by Harvey Probber 1950s Mid CenturyBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Troy, MIThree matching square side tables or modular coffee table by Harvey Probber circa 1950s Elegant and clean design with solid brass frames and inset Vitrolite surfaces Suitable as sid...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Rare Ben Seibel Brass Multi Color Three Arm Articulated Table Lamp 1950sBy Ben SeibelLocated in Troy, MIA rare three arm articulated table or desk lamp designed by Ben Seibel for Raymor circa 1950s Brass base with three adjustable arms and tri color enameled pivoting shades in red whit...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass, Enamel
- Mid Century Paul McCobb for Directional Lounge Chair 1950sBy Paul McCobb, DirectionalLocated in Troy, MIExceptional lounge chair designed by Paul McCobb for Directional circa 1950s Sculpted alnut frame with splayed legs and fluted armrests Uphols...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings Flip-Top Convertible Console Table for Widdicomb 1950sBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Dallas, TXThis console table has a deep espresso-finished mahogany top that sits upon four slender and graceful solid brass legs. It was designed in 1953 for Widdicomb Furniture by TH Robsjohn...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBrass
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Console Table "Arch Colosseum" for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in St.Petersburg, FLA stunning and rare console table designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb, circa 1956. Features gorgeous arches creating what looks like partitioned display areas. This unco...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Flip-Top Console, Wood, Brass, 1950sBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in High Point, NCA brass and wood flip-top console table, designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and produced by Widdicomb, USA, 1950s. Unfolded Dimensions:29.6" H x 60" W x 38" DCategory
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBrass
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Console Table for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in San Francisco, CAT.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings design console table for Widdicomb Furniture U.S.A. Beautiful contoured bull nose edges throughout on telescoping solid brass legs. Rare form table from his li...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Coffee Table T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb in Wood, 1950sBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Milano, ITAmerican designed coffee table by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for the Widdicomb manufacture from the 1950s. The coffee table is made of walnut wood and under the base of the top there is...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- 1950s T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb DeskBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Boston, MAT.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb desk, circa 1950s. Three drawers with organizers open with woven cane wrapped brass pull. Laminate veneer wraps around all corners of the desk. S...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsLaminate