A superb example of an African Dogon tribal ladder/scale. This example is believed to have been made in Mali from the early to mid-twentieth century. Traditionally the African Dogon ladder was used by the Dogon people to access the upper levels of granaries, climb onto the flat roofs of houses, and bridge clefts in cliffs.
Its repeated forms give it the aesthetic quality of a modernist sculpture.
Table: 130 x 78 x 74cm high Benches: 124 x 42 x 43cm high
Two long benches and table by renowned Swedish design Gilbert Marklund. The table is the rarer larger version of the design that can seat up to four people.
The desirable aspect of this set is that it is in unrestored condition with all its original patina. (The table has a few ring and burn marks to the top).
‘Soriana’ Lounge Chair & Ottoman. Cassina 1970s / early edition.
Early edition chair and ottoman. The chair does have a few issues with the upholstery (fading/ one small hole and minor staining) and would benefit from being reupholstered. The ottoman is in better condition with absolute minimal signs of age and use.
Plywood No.1 table/stool with its accompanying circular tray. Manufactured by Luterma. Both stool and tray are stamped/labelled Venesta.
The British furniture entrepreneur Jack Pritchard managed Venesta the import company for Luterma in England who later formed the Isokon furniture company which most notably employed Marcel Breuer. These tables/stools were distributed in England post 1933 until 1939 exclusively by Isokon alongside designs by Marcel Breuer and Egon Riss.
Although the designer of the stool remains anonymous, in 2004 the art historian Alastair Grieve described a modification of the original Luterma stool (of which this stool is one) when he wrote that the original design was subsequently re-designed by the architect and founder of the Bauhaus Walter Gropius (hired as a consultant to Isokon). The very slight alterations Gropius made was to include sharper curves to the cut-out squares of the stool. Gropius’s drawings for the redesign can reportedly be found in the collection of the V&A Museum, London.
The separate tray placed on top of the stool is unusual and rare in that it is much thinner than all other trays we have seen. This has led to some minor warping over time (which may have been why it was produced later with a thicker rim?) The thinner rimmed tray may suggest that this was an early production or at the least a more limited production?
h.46.5cm x w.44cm x d.44cm
Literature:-
Kermik, Juri (2004) The Luther factory: Plywood and furniture 1877-1940
Daybelge & Englund, (2019); Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain
Pritchard, Jack (1984); View from a Long Chair: The Memoirs of Jack Pritchard