Exceptional Rare Set Of Six Marcel Breuer Cesca Cantilevered Beech & Cane Chrome Model B64 Chairs
A exceptional set of six rare Marcel Breuer Cesca beech and cane cantilevered chairs. Early original model with makers stamp to undersides. Sought after carver/armchairs included within this set accompanying the four other chairs. All original and dating from 1960 this exceptional set are in good order for age. Fabulous iconic design inject style into any setting with these design classics.
Marcel Breuer created the Cesca Chair shortly after leaving the Bauhaus in 1928, it is inherently tied to the material innovation and design principles he formed at the German design school. In adherence to the institution’s rationalist ideals, Breuer sought a material suitable for mass production that could also render an artful furniture form.
Equipped with functional design thinking and an innovative mindset, Breuer found inspiration in an unlikely place — the tubular steel construction of the bicycle he rode around Dessau. The material was lightweight, sturdy and malleable enough to create the Modernist furniture he envisioned. After iteration upon iteration, bending and welding tubular steel, Breuer arrived at the Wassily Chair and Laccio Table, both designed in 1925, followed by the Cesca Chair in 1928.
Breuer was a multitalented artist who regarded furniture as a necessary component of one’s environment, deriving meaning from its application in a spatial whole. Consequently, in 1937, he followed his mentor — Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius — to Cambridge, Massachusetts to teach and practice architecture and design at Harvard University. In 1946, he moved to New York City to devote even more time to the trade, establishing his own practice and designing notable Modern and Brutalist works such as the United States Department of Housing and Development in Washington, D.C.; UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France; St. Francis de Sales Church in Muskegon, Michigan; Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City; and his own residence in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Knoll re introduced the Cesca Chair in 1968 following its acquisition of Gavina Group — an Italian furniture manufacturer that represented legendary architect Marcel Breuer's designs. Informed by the principles of the Bauhaus and the designer's revolutionary innovations in material, the simple, yet outstanding, design resonates just as much as it did over ninety years ago.
Two arm chairs and four side chairs, stamped "Made in Italy". Confirming early model chairs from the Gavina factory.
Armchairs measure 32" high, 22.25" deep, 23.25" wide, 26 7/8" arm height, 18" seat height. Side chairs measure 34" high, 19.5" deep.
As a genuine antique / vintage item there is wear and use commensurate with age. Some wooden products may have signs of historic woodworm. As a precaution we apply a clear triple action woodworm treatment that also kills wet rot, dry rot and woodworm. Please look at all the images carefully and ask any questions pre purchase as we do not unfortunately offer refunds due to the size and shipping costs of our antiques/items. All our items are available on line at Search & Rescued and other online stores.