Pierre Jeanneret Upholstered Dining Chairs, Chandigarh, c.1958-59

Upholstered teak dining chairs by Pierre Jeanneret from the Chandigarh furniture program, circa 1958–1959, presented in camel-colored hair-on-hide. The compact, armless form combines a rectangular framed back, a padded seat and broad compass supports. Jeanneret developed furniture alongside the architecture of Chandigarh, the new city created in post-independence India. Seating was an essential part of its offices, educational establishments and residential interiors. His designs brought modernist composition into direct contact with local woodworking: substantial timber members, economical joints and repeated forms gave ordinary furnishings a distinct architectural presence. The resulting furniture was made to be used, and its character emerges from the way a relatively small number of structural elements organize the body, the supporting frame and the spaces between them. The back uprights extend down to the rear seat rail, leaving a small open interval beneath the upholstered back. In side view, the angled legs and projecting seat establish the characteristic relationship between vertical, horizontal and diagonal elements. Metal reinforcement details visible at the backs form part of the frames’ history of repair and continued use. One photographed rear rail bears “ZOOLOGY-169/BLOCK.” The word “ZOOLOGY” identifies an educational or research departmental context, while the accompanying number and block designation preserve the furniture’s inventory history. This inscription is visible on the vintage teak itself and gives the marked chair a specific connection to its former working environment. The vintage teak retains variations in grain, color and surface wear, with softened edges and individual traces of use visible in the photographs. These details give the woodwork its material character and preserve the sense of a furnishing made for daily life in institutional or residential interiors. The present upholstery is a later treatment of the vintage structure. For related upholstered dining chairs from Chandigarh’s university furniture program, see Wright, Important Design, June 2021, lot 170. Dimensions: approximately 16.5 inches wide, 20.5 inches deep, 31.5 inches high. Provenance: private collection, Chandigarh, India, as recorded by Studio Balestra. Accompanied by a Studio Balestra Certificate of Authenticity. Dimensions: 16.5"W x 20.5"D x 31.5"H x 17.5"SH Product Type: Dining Chairs