Category: mystery chair/bench/stool

Mystery Tubular Chair: Tucroma Chair by Guido Faleschini? – No his Dilos Chair!

Mystery-Chair-Tucroma-?

Mystery-Chair-Tucroma?

Vero Cuoio Made in Italy by Mariani
Vero Cuoio means real leather.

Once in a while we receive e-mails with the request to help identify a certain chair. If we like the chair we gladly offer help. The writer believes this to be close to a Tucroma Chair designed by Guido Faleschini.

Hello. I have some chairs that were manufactured by Mariani that I would like to identify. The closest that I have come is that they were designed by Guido since they have almost exactly the same base as the Tucroma chairs, but the application of the leather is different. The leather is Vero Cuoio and the application is more of a Breuer Chair stretched leather. I have included a link to a few pictures I have taken of them for further help. Please let me know if they can be identified as soon as possible as the matter is of the utmost urgency. I thank you in advance for your time and help!

However I have my doubts:
I found this photo on 1stdibs:
Tucroma-Chair-by-Guido-Faleschini

And another one here:
Tucroma-Chair-by-Guido-Faleschini-4

The tubular frame of the Tucroma is thicker and the seating is free swinging, more of a cantilever type than that of the mystery chair. Moreover the seating is upholstered rather than flat leather.
Winston Art says:

Noted Italian designer Guido Faleschini created these chairs named “Tucroma” in 1972 and they were produced in Italy by Mariani exclusively for the Pace Collection. In chromed tubular steel.

Unfortunately I can find no web presence of Guido Faleschini, Pace Collection or Mariani. Even the i4Mariani site seems out of order.

Any of our readers?

Update January 30, 2024

Coincidentally I tried a Google lens search with the first photo above and found this site: Design Market with two pairs of these chairs for sale in natural cognac colored leather and describing the chairs as Dilos Chairs by Guido Faleschini.

I would say “Bingo”

About Guido Falechini

Guido Faleschini, in 1942 got a degree of Industrial Expert in Milano and then in 1952-1953 the degree of Superior School of Art applied to Industry where he was awarded the first prize at the end of the course. He graduated in Architecture in 1960 from the University “Ateneaum de Lausanne”; here he was also teaching in the period 1970-1974 as teacher of Architectonic Composition in the Italian Section of the University. From 1950 till 1968 obtaining many prizes in painting competitions. He started in 1960 the activity of Industrial Designer for many Forniture Companies placed in the Brianza Area. Numerous exhibition booths in international trade shows of various industries especially for I 4 Mariani S.p.A. He partecipated to the competition PRINT laminate and to the Biennal of Mariano with many different quotations. A complete furnishings for private houses from 1950 in different cities. Office furnishings like Company Sangalli in Monza and Company ATE in Sesto San Giovanni. Complete furnishings in clothing storse. For all the above listed architectures he designed also the interior furnishings. He designed the room of the Saharian Rocky Art Section of the Civic Museum of Prehistoric Art of Pinerolo where he is also the scientific Responsible since 2001.

Via i4Mariani

The Shrunken Cray-1 by Daryl Brach

I thought the Cray 1

Remember my last year’s April Fool’s Day prank?

I posted a photo of one of the original iconic Cray-1 computers. For me it was like a mid century sofa. I took the photo in the Paris Computer Museum at the Big Arch. In that museum they also have a collection of sandows chairs by Rene Herbst.

It was Eloise Moorehead who busted me immediately. Coincidentally Eloise had posted a photo of another Cray-1 not long before. She also had mistaken it for a sofa, maybe an ideal sofa for in a Hotel lobby. She imagined even a cosy telephone boot inside:-)

Cray-1-Scale-model-by-Daryl-Brach
Recently I discovered case modder Daryl Brach had taken the Cray-1 as an example to rebuild on a scale of 1/3 with two PC’s in it for use at home. Probably this one has more computing power than the original Cary-1. It made me think back to my first encounter in Paris.

Via Honey, Daryl Brach shrunk the Cray-1 supercomputer and The Register

Mid 50ies Thonet Mystery Easy Chair – Solved

Mystery Thonet USA Chair IMG_9789

Thonet Industries INC., USA, mid 50ies wood and steel Mystery Chair.

From time to time readers ask me for help identifying a chair. Alas I’m just an amateur, a chair lover, but not so much a chair expert. Sometimes I post the photos and ask my readership for help and sometimes they do give great help.

The Label, or tag, under this mystery chair is interesting

Tag Thonet Industries INC. York USA Mystery Chair

It reads:

Do not remove this tag under penalty of Law
All New Material Consisting of
Foam Rubber
REG No. PA. 3373

This article is made in compliance with in act of Dist. of Col approved July 3, 1926; Kansas approved March 1923; Minn approved April 24, 1929; New Jersey revised statutes 26; 10-6 to 18

Certification is made by the manufacture that the materials in this article are described in accordance with the law

Sold by(blank)

Date of Delivery(blank)

Distributed by: Thonet Industries, INC.
One Park – Avenue New York 16, N.Y.
Factory: York PA

Thonet Industries, INC

I vaguely knew that there has been a large Thonet factory in the USA. I remember reading somewhere about the demolition of the leftovers of such factory. I’m glad the reader sent me this photo, because until now I had thought the US factory was located near New York City. Not true, they had a posh showroom at 1 Park Lane in New York City, NY. The factory was in York, PA, USA.

Via a blog post of the York Blog I’ve now learned that the factory burned down in 1993:

Leftovers from the Thonet Industries INC factory in York PA USA

This 1995 photograph shows the burned out Thonet Industries complex two years after the fire, one of the largest in the past two decades in York County.

After the aside:
It is not clear to me whether Thonet Industries only sold its own product or third parties product as well. It would not surprise me if a lot of history of the US Thonet saga has been lost with the burning down of the factory

Anybody an idea about the chair?

Update:
As per our kind comment below:

Not really a mystery. This modular lounge group #4390 first appears in the Thonet USA catalogues in 1959 and continues until 1972. Available in many configurations, with and w/o arms and table inserts it has wood rails and natural or gold anodized aluminum legs. Your photo is of model #4391 and appears to have the gold anodized legs.

 Update 2:

thonet usOne mistery chair leading to another mistery chair: The one bought by commenter Brian.

Two Red Chairs at Two Columbia Road

Two Columbia Road is a London based gallery specializing in a broad range of collectible furniture, associated design, works of art and photography from Scandinavia, Europe, and North America. Sometimes they have extra ordinary chairs for sale.

Here are two clearly Dutch 20ies Red Chairs they offer for sale. However 2 Columbia Road attributes them to the La Haye School, which to my view is wrong. The La Haye School is French for Haagse School or Hague School which is only about painters and not about furniture. Maybe they should be attributed to a member of De Stijl Group whose most prominent Chair designer was Gerrit Rietveld. Maybe this is a design by Theo van Doesburg or by J.J.P. Oud, both members of De Stijl who also designed chairs.

Craiglists find: the “Alice In Wonderland” Wicker Chair

Side view
Back view

The anonymous “Alice In Wonderland” style wicker Chair found on Craiglists

I was fooling around in Craiglists San Francisco Antique Sales today and found this exquisite, “Alice In Wonderland” style, wicker chair. Not only is it ornately woven, what seams to be like metal also shows great details and extreme uniqueness. The reason why I call it the “Alice In Wonderland” style chair is because it reminds me of the Queen of Hearts(red queen) played by Helena Bonham Carter, with a similar large red head and relatively small body. Among my imagination, any identification of this chair will be highly appreciated!

Last edited by Guido J. van den Elshout on November 29, 2011 at 2:34 PM [deleted links that don’t work anymore