A GERRIT THOMAS RIETVELD ZIG-ZAG CHAIR, most probably executed by Rietveld himself, elm composed of four tapering rectangular sections, the seat and back joined by 'comb-system' dove-tailing composed of two wide joins, and strentghened with five revealed nuts and bolts visible in the three circular holes on the seat and two circular holes on the back, each of the other two sections joined with revealed nuts and bolts, eight on the seat and seven at the base, with two additional wooden triangular strengthening wedges set in the acute angles, the back with carrying groove (mid-1930)

Details

A GERRIT THOMAS RIETVELD ZIG-ZAG CHAIR, most probably executed by Rietveld himself, elm composed of four tapering rectangular sections, the seat and back joined by 'comb-system' dove-tailing composed of two wide joins, and strentghened with five revealed nuts and bolts visible in the three circular holes on the seat and two circular holes on the back, each of the other two sections joined with revealed nuts and bolts, eight on the seat and seven at the base, with two additional wooden triangular strengthening wedges set in the acute angles, the back with carrying groove (mid-1930)
seat approx. 35.9 cm wide x 38.4 cm deep
72.9 cm high

Provenance

Rietveld family

Lot Essay

This chair is most probably one of the proto-types or a modification of the proto-type for the final version Rietveld designed in 1934. The chair is both smaller and lower than later versions. Where seat and back join, screws with round heads and wahsers have been used and the nuts are not sunk into the wood. Also the nuts and bolts at the base are of less sophisticated variety than those used in later versions.

Cf. The furniture of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Daniele Baroni, 1977, p. 132 - 137
Gerrit Rietveld: A Centenary Exhibition, Barry Friedmann Ltd, New York 1988, p. 49

See illustration

More from 20th Century Decorative Arts

View All