I bought this coffee table that the seller said was purchased in the period from Kagan in NYC but could not quite remember. It is very close to the recognizable Snail table but the spiral does not go as far into the center. It has a quality veneer, but it is not solid and heavy like some of the original designs. Glass is purportedly original too. Is this a Kagan design too?
Please help! Thanks
I had a Kagan Radius table for a few years and did a lot of poking around the interwebs for info. Here is what I found out:
1) Kagan has written himself about his contract work for Selig, including the snail table. Except for this blog post from him, I cannot find any vintage documentation of this relationship. There are all kinds of vintage Selig ads and catalogs out there, so hopefully a Kagan connection will eventually surface. http://vladimirkagan.typepad.com/vladimir-kagans-blog/2012/09/how-i-spen...
2) Both short spiral and long spiral table bases are shown at the bottom of the blog post. I doubt Kagan himself did all the formatting of the post, but I think it is a reasonable assumption that he would look at the post and images and approve of it, especially the photos of his work. I believe this to be a solid Selig/Kagan attribution for both snail base designs.
3) The Radius table (which I owned), is attributed to Selig/Kagan as well. While I was never able to find 100% definitive proof of this, there are many similar design features and details with the snail table, including the walnut veneered laminated construction and black rubber setting dots for the glass top (see photos). This design is very similar to the Compass table design that was produced by Kagan Dreyfuss. Based on the above, I considered this attribution at around 90% legit, and listed it that way accordingly.
4) The VK website has not responded to any of my inquiries for attribution verification. I am not sure if this intentional, or if no one bothers to read the emails. I do know that Kagan himself is not a fan of the lucrative secondary market for his vintage furniture. Rather than being happy that his mid century designs are still highly appreciated and admired, he is upset that he cannot financially profit from their current popularity. How do I know this? He said it himself last year: http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/the-way-they-live/2015/vladimir-kagan
"I also hate it when people buy my things at auction and I don’t make a penny out of it. 1stDibs is not my best friend. They’re eating the bread off my table."
I'll refrain from any commentary on that quote.
Perhaps you could post setting dot and underside closeup photos of your snail table on this thread so that there is a record comparison of the Snail and Radius designs in the same location.
No problem. Would you be able to post closeup photos of the table details, including underside corner for comparision? Having the same number of plies and same edge band thickness would solidly link these two table designs together. I'm not sure if the white plastic dot glides are original or an owner addition, so am interested in what yours looks like.
Finally! 4 years later, I've found vintage documentation that Kagan was the designer (and Selig the manufacturer) of the table I owned. However, the correct name is not "Radius", but "Propellor".
The tall round end table and rectangular coffee table are depicted, while the larger round coffee table is noted in the description.
Source: Furniture Forum - 1965
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