Pierre Jeanneret Library Table, Chandigarh, c.1955-56

Monumental teak library table by Pierre Jeanneret from the Chandigarh furniture program, circa 1955–1956. A 96-inch rectangular top is carried by broad, slab-like timber supports, producing a substantial composition of horizontal and vertical planes. Jeanneret’s furnishings were integral to the architectural and institutional life of Chandigarh, the new city developed in post-independence India. Tables and desks translated the requirements of study, administration and communal activity into a concise vocabulary of timber construction. Working with local craftsmen, Jeanneret treated the surface and its supporting members as a complete composition. These objects share the directness of his seating designs, while their different proportions reflect the particular demands of writing, reading, dining and the organization of everyday work. The paired supports anchor the long surface without a conventional four-leg arrangement. Their broad faces create an architectural base beneath the top, while the ends of the table remain open. The generous width and depth reflect a shared working surface, and the timber grain gives the expansive plane visual warmth. Painted lettering on the edge begins “PAU/PB/M.S.LIB,” followed by inventory numerals and a Roman-numeral division. PAU/PB is associated with Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Punjab, while “LIB” indicates a library inventory context. These surviving characters add a particular institutional history to the photographed table and remain visible within the worn teak edge. 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. A related library-table design was catalogued by Sotheby’s in 2016, lot 302, citing Touchaleaume and Moreau, L’Aventure indienne, 2010, pages 380–381 and 580. Dimensions: approximately 96 inches wide, 48 inches deep, 29 inches high. Provenance: private collection, Chandigarh, India, as recorded by Studio Balestra. Accompanied by a Studio Balestra Certificate of Authenticity. Product Type: Dining Tables