Armchair
Artist
George Jacob Hunzinger
(German, 1835 - 1889)
Date1876
MediumWood, fabric, and steel
DimensionsOverall: 38 3/4 x 27 5/8 x 22in. (98.4 x 70.2 x 55.9cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit Line75th Anniversary Acquisition. Museum Purchase
Object number2011.16
On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextIn 1876 the visionary and innovative furniture designer and manufacturer George Hunzinger patented an "Improvement in Chair Seats and Backs" that utilized fabric-covered flat steel wire to create woven mesh seats and backs, as seen on this chair. This upholstery technique made for a comfortable surface that provided ventilation as well as durability. The Museum's example is in remarkably good condition.
This chair not only reflects Hunzinger's innovative approach to technology, but also his well-informed aesthetic eclecticism. He often quoted peculiar historical precedents in the minor details of his work. The conical finials on the seat back and armrests, for example, refer to pinecone forms in ancient Assyrian furniture. Additionally, the distinctive spheres beneath the seat rail quote French medieval furniture. Hunzinger had an affinity for abstracted geometrical forms, and spheres became one of his favored motifs in the 1880's. The Museum owns two other examples of Hunzinger furniture, and each exemplifies a different Hunzinger design patent.
DL
