Two John Dickinson Africa Tables
View Similar Items
Two John Dickinson Africa Tables
About the Item
- Creator:John Dickinson (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Diameter: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Plaster
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:1970-1979
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Old repairs and cracks where legs meet top on both, some scuffs, surface wear, and losses. Dimensions are for larger table.
- Seller Location:Norwalk, CT
- Reference Number:Seller: 575521stDibs: LU2916310952211
John Dickinson
Playful, sculptural, unexpected: Illustrious designer and decorator John Dickinson created interiors, lighting fixtures, seating and other furnishings that were wholly peculiar and unlike anything seen before. The Berkeley, California, native mined design movements of bygone eras for elements he would later integrate into what would become his signature anthropomorphic work.
Dickinson was inspired by Art Deco designers such as Jean-Michel Frank, who similarly drew on the past for his extravagant pieces, and found appeal in the claw-foot tables and seating that Georgian-era furniture makers produced.
Although Dickinson attended the Parsons School of Design in New York, he returned to the West Coast following graduation. He worked for decorating firms and furniture stores, and, in 1956, he set up his own practice in San Francisco, where he reinterpreted heritage in his sculptural lamps, stools and chairs with legs that terminate in hooves or resemble bones and tree branches.
Dickinson’s spare but sophisticated furniture is often associated with a “golden age” of San Francisco decorating that includes the work of designers Charles Pfister and Michael Taylor. Wider recognition over the years owes to collectors’ interest and exhibits such as “Fantasy and Function: The Furniture of John Dickinson,” which opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2003.
Despite his irreverent approach, Dickinson’s pieces were luxury items. He crafted lamps of unpolished brass and tables in chalky white plaster with a resin coating. His most iconic works are his Etruscan tables with legs resembling hooved animal feet and his Three-Legged African table, which was inspired by an artifact he discovered in an import shop. Dickinson took on only handpicked, young, well-to-do clients who were willing to give him free rein to experiment with these unusual forms and industrial materials. Leading department stores like Lord & Taylor, however, were also among his clientele. In 1977, Dickinson was commissioned to design a furniture collection for Macy’s. It featured white lacquered bookcases that drew on urban architecture and table lamps with bodies that mimicked animal bones.
Owing to his untimely death, and the fact that he worked in plaster, a highly breakable material, few of Dickinson’s original pieces exist to this day. Their scarcity renders every remaining Dickinson design a valuable heirloom guaranteed to make a statement in any room.
Find vintage John Dickinson furniture on 1stDibs.
- Solid Pine Coffee Table by Roland Wilhelmsson for Karl Andersson & SönerBy Karl Anderson, Roland WilhelmssonLocated in Norwalk, CTDelve into a realm where raw nature meets unparalleled craftsmanship with our Solid Pine Coffee Table, envisioned by the esteemed Roland Wilhelmsson and impeccably realized by Karl A...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsPine
- Early 20th Century, Mahogany & Brass Bank TableLocated in Norwalk, CTLarge scale bank counter from the storied Union and New Haven Trust Building, designed by Cross & Cross and opened in 1927. Features a solid mahogany fram...Category
Early 20th Century Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Aldo Tura Lacquered Goatskin & Brass Occasional Table, c. 1960'sBy Aldo TuraLocated in Norwalk, CTDiscover the epitome of Italian elegance and the singular vision of the legendary Aldo Tura with this exquisite table, crafted by Tura's Lombardy-based furniture firm in the 1950's o...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Danish Mid-Century Rosewood Extension Dining Table, c. 1960'sLocated in Norwalk, CTSlim and stylish in its sleek proportions, this Danish mid-century extension dining table has a versatile appearance, well-suited to any modern or traditional interior alike. In typi...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- 18th Century Danish Baroque Provincial Oak Single-Drawer TableLocated in Norwalk, CTStep into a dance of history and craftsmanship with this exquisite Antique Danish Baroque Provincial Oak Table. Crafted during an era when each piece was a reflection of artisanal pa...Category
Antique 18th Century Danish Tables
MaterialsOak
- Danish Modern Oak & Wicker Sewing Table in the Manner of Henning KjærnulfBy Henning KjærnulfLocated in Norwalk, CTCrafted from beautiful solid quarter-sawn white oak, this lovely side table features a conveniently divided dovetailed drawer and a slide-out wicker basket for extra storage. The lower tier is perfect for storing a few of your favorite books. It's the perfect piece for knitters, crafters, and organization-lovers alike! Pioneered and perfected by Henning Kjærnulf, the "Danish Brutalist" style playfully riffs on antique silhouettes...Category
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tables
MaterialsWicker, Oak
$960 Sale Price20% Off
- John Dickinson Mid-Century Modern Style Sculpted Africa Side / End Table, SignedBy Sutherland, John DickinsonLocated in Stamford, CTJohn Dickinson Mid-Century Modern Style Sculpted Africa Side / End Table, Signed A painted plaster occasional table signed John Dickinson for Sutherland. The conical top above three stylized large shaped legs inspired by African design. One leg with minor repair. Strong and sturdy. Licensed reproduction by Sutherland. John Dickinson (1920-1982) Model African side table Painted plaster Model originally created in the 1970s Bibliography: J. Lovine & T. Merrill, "Modern Americana...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Tables
MaterialsPlaster, Paint
$11,600 Sale Price20% Off - John Dickinson Style Trompe L'oeul Occasional TableBy John DickinsonLocated in Los Angeles, CASteel side table, created in the style of American designer John Dickinson. The round table imitates draped table cloth, with sculptured pleats and folds, the surface is finished wit...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Painted plaster African table attributed to John DickinsonBy John DickinsonLocated in Ferndale, MISolid and heavy cast plaster table . After the John Dickinson original "Africa " tables . There paw foot legs support round top that resembles an inverted dome . Fine condition re...Category
Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Side Tables
MaterialsSteel
- John Dickinson style Tri-Pod Plaster African Side TableBy John DickinsonLocated in Las Vegas, NVFunctional 3 legged art table styled after John Dickinson "African" table. Formed of plaster over a rather stout interior frame. Heavy and well crafted piece, almost identical to an ...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsPlaster
- John Dickinson Prototype African Table from the Firehouse, San FranciscoBy John DickinsonLocated in Chicago, ILJohn Dickinson Prototype African table from the Firehouse, SanFrancisco; Painted wood. This unique table anchored the seating area in the Firehouse where Dickinson would entertain h...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Signed John Dickinson TableBy John DickinsonLocated in Nashville, TNGalvanized metal table in the stye of a draped table with brass trim.Category
Vintage 1960s American Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
$21,900