Set of six “Barrel” dining chairs -

We are offering for sale this set of six “barrel” table armchairs, which aptly embodies the spirit of organic modernism forged by frank lloyd wright. Inspired by the original model designed in 1904, this lighter version - close to the one redesigned in 1937 for wingspread - reveals all the subtlety of a design that is at once sculptural, enveloping and functional. Here, the museum piece fades into the background in favor of a confidential series, probably from a dutch or central european workshop in the 1990s-2000s, outside the cassina license but respectful of the original spirit (cassina obtained exclusivity for the production of this model from the frank lloyd wright foundation in 1986, and a set of six numbered and marked ones now fetches between €7, 000 and €18, 000 on the high-end market). Indeed, these armchairs are distinguished by their careful construction and craftsmanship well above the average examples circulating on the market. Their structure is made entirely of solid wood - probably beech or european ash - turned then steam-bent on a template, a demanding technique reserved for workshops with traditional know-how. The half-cylinder backrest is composed of seventeen vertical uprights carefully set in upper and lower grooves, forming a rigid and enveloping shell without overloading, recalling the rigor of a japanese peristyle. The circular, curved seat rests on a molded plywood bowl, filled with high-density foam and covered with a fine-grained green skai, perfectly taut and without sagging. The finish, finally, plays on controlled sobriety: a honeyed golden oak stain highlighted by a satin varnish applied manually in several layers, revealing the richness of the wood grain without excessive shine. -- dimensions (cm): 80.5 (h) X 56 (w) X 40 (d) X 45 (h seat). Good used condition.