AN IMPORTANT BILLET CHAIR

Details

GERRIT RIETVELD; NETHERLANDS
AN IMPORTANT BILLET CHAIR
1923-1924, executed by G. van den Groenikan, black-painted turned and laminated wood, white-painted edges to seat and back
33 in. (84 cm.) high; 27½ in. (69.9 cm.) wide; 23¾ in. (60 cm.) deep

Provenance

The Dutch painter, Constant, original owner
Mrs Riemans
Christie's Amsterdam, European Ceramics, Delftware, Glass, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco including an Important Collection of Rietveld Furniture, 6th November 1986, lot 483
Barry Friedman Ltd., New York
Private Collection, New York
Christie's New York, Important 20th Century Decorative Arts and Tiffany: Innovation in American Design, 10th December 2002, lot 83

Literature

Daniele Baroni, The Furniture of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld 1978, p.67 (design illustrated)
Peter Vöge, The Complete Rietveld Furniture, 1993, p.65 (design illustrated)

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

Originally designed by Rietveld for the Schröderhuis, one of his earliest and most significant commissions, this chair model is closely related to his revolutionary 'Red/Blue' chair. In this interpretation, Rietveld softens the angular quality of the earlier model by using rounded billets and a gently curved back and seat. The chair is distinguished by the white edging around the back and seat which provides a sense of weightlessness and further definition to the form. According to van den Groenikan, a maximum of five of these chairs were made.

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