Attributed Eileen Gray, A Labourdette armchair, designed c.1923 this example probably executed 1930s


Oak, anodised aluminium torpedo-shaped rails with matt-gold finish, thick tan leather hide with metal hoops and canvas backing, 58cm wide, 56.5cm deep, 74.5cm high (22 1/2in wide, 22in deep, 29in high).
|Provenance:An English private collection.The current example is a variant of the armchair commissioned by Monsieur and Madame Jean Henri-Labourdette. That chair, directly comparable to the present example, but for a stitched two-tone geometric leather back and seat, was originally conceived for a room in their Paris residence designed to compliment the their collection of African sculpture. The present chair represents an interesting transitional development for Gray, from the highly finished lacquered surfaces of her early career, to Modern considerations of simplicity and form inspired by the influential British military campaign chair. A similarly simple and broadly comparable chair, that of a deck chair from ocean liner, was the basis of Gray's famous 'Transat chair' designed c.1925 for her house, E1027 on the Cote d'Azur. Another variation from the original Labourdette chair is the use of tubular aluminium to replace the heavier oak rails. This may place the chair as chronologically later in date, perhaps to the early 1930's when other pioneering designers such as Marcel Breuer and Dr. Hans Coray were exploring aluminium's potential as the primary material in furniture making. It is also a development that adheres to the original concept of the campaign chair, making it lighter and more portable, with an anodised finish that is both hard-wearing and resistant to corrosion.Literature:Peter Adam 'Eileen Gray: Her Life and Work' published by Thames & Hudson, 2009Clive Edwards 'Encyclopedia of Furniture Materials, Trades and Techniques, Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2000