Parchment Veneered Pedestal Table by Karl Springer

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Parchment Veneered Pedestal Table by Karl Springer

About the Item

Beautiful pedestal table designed by Karl Springer and manufactured in 1985. this table exhibits all the classic features of Springer's work from the 1980s. the freeform application of the parchment, the very substantial bullnose edge of the top and the simple form, a top resting on an unadorned pedestal. The table is dated 1-17-85, it is stamped into the underside of the pedestal. About Karl Springer: Mr. KARL SPRINGER was the most influential American furniture stylist of the latter 20th Century. His unique blending of chic sophistication and crudeness made his work powerfully attractive and the most imitated during the 1960’s through the 1990’s. One can still sense his clear influence in the high end contemporary furniture offered today. KARL was born in Berlin, Germany in 1931. In 1957 he immigrated to New York. He became a top window dresser for the Lord & Taylor flagship store on Fifth Avenue. At night he developed a line of exotic leather accessories. With the support of his friend he was able to place his line in a prestigious specialty shop within Bergdorf Goodman. The line was an overnight sensation. He opened an atelier on the then emerging boutique row of East 53nd Street. It is said that the DUCHESS of WINSOR discovered him and her patronage catapulted him into the limelight. Designers and Patrons flocked to the small shop. They were charmed by his personality and captivated by his creations. Quickly he began taking commissions for larger and more important pieces. His tireless pursuit of fine materials and old world finishing techniques gave his pieces their unique appeal. Whether it was an ancient oriental lacquer technique or heavy Lucite it was effortlessly incorporated into his creations. He searched for forms within many design movements and distilled them down to their purist shapes. He quickly developed a network of artisans and craftsmen and always demanded the highest quality of materials and workmanship. taken from the Karl Springer Ltd website.

Creator:
Karl Springer (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Diameter: 48 in (121.92 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Goatskin,Lacquer,Polished
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1980-1989
Date of Manufacture:
1985
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Palm Desert, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU797734814602

Shop All Karl Springer

Karl Springer

The Berlin-born, New York–based designer Karl Springer brought a chic, high-fashion sensibility to furnishings. During his heyday in the 1970s, Springer’s work was a favorite of the glamour set, who enjoyed the novelty of pieces finished in rich and striking materials that ranged from exotic hides and skins to lacquer and chromed metal. In a sense, Springer was a pre-postmodernist. Much as the dull, safe, corporate sameness of late 20th-century modernism prompted Ettore Sottsass, Michael Graves and others to explore new and provocative structures and materials in design and architecture, so, too, was Springer driven to enliven his creations with fresh and alluring energy and sleekness.

Springer came to New York in the late 1950s and found work arranging window displays at the department store Lord & Taylor. He had studied bookbinding in Germany, and, using his meticulous skills, he began crafting desk accessories wrapped in leather as a sideline. These pieces were sold in luxury stores like Bergdorf Goodman, and drew a sophisticated clientele that included the Duchess of Windsor. By 1965, he had established his own Manhattan atelier, and at his death he had showrooms as far afield as Los Angeles, Tokyo and Munich.

The chairs, tables, credenzas and other furniture forms Springer created are generally simple, but substantial, and often have robust, rounded lines. The appeal of his work lies in Springer's insistence on exacting construction and, above all, his eye for unusual materials and finishes. He employed Lucite, brass, and gunmetal along with chromed and polished steel, and revived exquisite finishes rarely seen since the days of Art Deco masters such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean-Michel Frank: shagreen (a type of sharkskin), python, goatskin, bone, horn, and lacquered parchment, as well as fabrics that include batik prints. Made of such materials, Springer’s work is by its very nature flamboyant and eye-catching: a suite of pieces will astonish, and an artfully placed side table in exotic hide will add a surprising spark.

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