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14-May-08 |
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MR40 Mies van der Rohe lounge chair....
I have been trying to find out any info on the MR40 Mies van der Rohe armless lounge chair. It sits low unlike the ones you see as dining table chairs. Two separate pieces of thick black leather laced up on the back and the bottom. Vintage Knoll sticker intact underneath on bottom seat. Just wondering what the year of manufacture is...? These chairs were originally from the late 20's but once Knoll started distributing I think that was around the 40's or 50's?? If anyone has info as to the year of the Knoll sticker that would be helpful. Any links would be appreciated. I've tried several publications, Google, etc. with no real luck.
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posted by nautipuss
edited on 14-May-08 08:43 PM [edit]
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14-May-08 |
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MR Armless Lounge Chair
Have you tried searching for MR Armless Lounge Chair (instead of MR40)? I found lots of info online from that search.
It appears that the chair you have there is an MR Armless Lounge Chair frame, but with the back and seat for a standard MR Chair (the MR Lounge Chair normally has a padded seat and back). Knoll still makes both of those chairs, so without that sticker on the bottom it could have been made anytime. However, I believe Knoll moved from the 320 Park Avenue location sometime in the 1970's (possibly earlier), so the seat and back on the chair you have should be at least that old.
I've just been told by someone else here at my office that Knoll's showroom moved in 1951, so they me be older. But looking at that label, it doesn't look like something that would have been printed that long ago (it definitely looks newer).
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posted by Danny
edited on 14-May-08 10:09 PM [edit]
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15-May-08 |
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MR40
Thanks, Danny. It would be nice to have a chronological reference for Knoll tags so you knew what year your item originated from. My whole house full of furniture has all different Knoll tags with different addresses! Yes, I've searched in books and online and have yet to find this exact chair. You see the dining table version but not this lower lounge version.
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posted by nautipuss
[edit]
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16-May-08 |
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This is it
This is your chair, with the correct seat and back (see the link). Like I mentioned before, I suspect the seat and back on your chair are not the ones normally found on that chair, but the ones for the MR Chair (the "dining" version) that you mentioned. That's why you're having trouble finding photos of it.
I haven't been able to find any info on dating Knoll pieces from the tags, but if I do I'll post it.
http://www.allmodern.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=KLL1301&re1...
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posted by Danny
[edit]
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16-May-08 |
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Thanks again, Danny. Yes, I'...
Thanks again, Danny. Yes, I've seen that chair before in your link. My chair is all original--nothing has been replaced. The Knoll sticker is glued tight on the bottom of the leather seat. The MR40 chair definitely had more than one style; one more simplistic like the dining chairs and one more luxurious.
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posted by nautipuss
edited on 16-May-08 07:05 PM [edit]
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16-May-08 |
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More photos?
Can you post a photo of the back of the chair? Showing how the back is attached? That might shed some more light on the matter.
I asked around today (several people here in my office used to work for Knoll), and I'm told that aside from the chaise lounges, the MR40 was made in two versions (with and without arms), as was the MR20 (the side or "dining" chair). One of them said she's fairly certain what you have there is an MR40 Armless Lounge Chair (now simply called the MR Armless Lounge Chair) with a non-standard seat and back attached (possibly replaced by a previous owner, or possibly custom ordered with that particular seat and back). Do you have any history of the chair before it came into your hands at all?
The link below is to a PDF file showing Knoll's entire Mies collection (see pp 14-15).
http://www.knoll.com/products/downloads/MiesBrochure.pdf
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posted by Danny
[edit]
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27-May-08 |
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sorry I took so long!
Here is a photo of the back. Top and bottom both lace up with leather. It's a very sexy design.
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posted by nautipuss
edited on 27-May-08 06:37 PM [edit]
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28-May-08 |
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No worries . . .
Thanks for posting another photo.
Seeing the back, I'm pretty sure my original assessment was correct. If you check out the Knoll Europe website - see the link below - you'll see that back on both the MR Side Chair and the Spoleto Chair. (I say the Europe website and not the North American one because I found better pictures of the back there.)
Either way, it's a beautiful chair (and personally, I prefer the laced up back and seat to the padded one).
http://www.knoll-english.com/products/knollstudio/sidechairl...
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posted by Danny
[edit]
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29-May-08 |
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hmmm
You know... I looked all over the chair and there is no imprint of MR's signature nor a production number. Did they use this system the whole time since Knoll began production? There are some similar dining chairs (MR10) for sale on Ebay and I asked the seller if he could find this on his chairs and he said no as well. I'm curious only because the Knoll UK site you referred me to states that.
On another subject...I stupidly passed on bidding on a Poul Kjaerholm PK-31 chair on Ebay which went for all of $2,025!! I'm still kicking myself. It was a beauty and would have rocked with the MR40. Ugh. I should have at least tried to plug in $3,000 but I wimped out.
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-VINTAGE-MR-10-MIES-VAN-DER-ROHE-KNOLLm...
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posted by nautipuss
edited on 30-May-08 08:10 PM [edit]
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