Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Chaise longue basculante, model no. LC 104, d...

Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Chaise longue basculante, model no. LC 104, designed 1928, produced 1959-1964 Painted metal, chromium-plated metal, hide, leather. 62 x 56.5 x 161 cm Produced by Heidi Weber, Zurich, Switzerland. Footnotes: Provenance Dame Mary Quant, London, acquired circa 1970, France Thence by descent to the present owner Literature Jan Van Geest and Otakar Mácel, Stühle aus Stahl: Metallmöbel 1925-1940, Köln, 1980, p. 74 Derek E. Ostergard, ed., Bent Wood and Metal Furniture: 1850-1946, exh. cat., The American Federation of Arts, New York, 1987, pp. 282-283 Charlotte and Peter Fiell, eds., Decorative Art 30s-40s, Cologne, 2000, p. 189 Charlotte and Peter Fiell, eds., Decorative Art 60s, Cologne, 2000, p. 93 Charlotte and Peter Fiell, eds., Decorative Art 70s, Cologne, 2000, p. 80 Prof. Dr Mateo Kries and Marc Zehntner, et al., eds., Atlas of Furniture Design, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, 2019, pp. 212-213 Heidi Weber - Centre Le Corbusier, https://www.heidiweber-centrelecorbusier.com/en/furniture.html (accessed September, 2024) Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand: Complete Works Volume 1, 1903-1940, Paris, 2014, front cover, pp. 101, 157 Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand: Complete Works Volume 3, 1956-1968, Paris, 2017, pp. 122-128 Bonhams wishes to thank Arthur Rüegg for his kind assistance with cataloguing the present lot. The present work is a rare survival from a brief period in the complex production history of this icon of 20th century design. This chaise longue is often erroneously held to be by Le Corbusier alone but was a design by Charlotte Perriand with input from and marketed under joint authorship with her then associates Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret. First patented in 1929, after an initial prototypic production, manufacture of the chaise longue (then known a model B 306) was taken over by Thonet in 1930, when Le Corbusier insisted his name took first precedence over the others. The model was available in 1930 with a canvas seat covering for 1,650 francs or, similar to that seen here, with a hide-covered 'de luxe' version for 3,070 francs. Sales were disappointing, with only 172 Chaise Longues sold by Thonet between June 1930 and July 1935, and Thonet production stopping entirely in 1937. Alongside 'official' versions there are numerous other variants, including Thonet models with legs of varying heights, licensed and sub-licensed versions executed by Embru in the 1930s, and an unlicensed production by Wohnbedarf from 1950. Le Corbusier's fame after the war led to interest in relaunching some of the earlier models and he eventually granted a licence to interior designer Heidi Weber in Zurich to produce the tubular furniture range, in addition to entrusting her with the sale of his drawings and pantings, whilst stipulating that he was now credited with sole authorship of the furniture and renaming the model the LC 104. The limited Weber production continued until 1965, at which point she sub-licensed production and rights to Cassina in Italy. Constructional details confirm the current well-preserved survivor to be from this short-lived rare Heidi Weber production, a crucial stage on the journey which saw this seminal chaise become disseminated and recognised globally as was first intended in the late 1920s. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TP TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing