Saarinen tulip chair - original or repro?  

The shape/form looks good from here, but I have not seen that base attachment before. Does the chair swivel? Do you have the seat pad?

hi

It doesn't swivel. I don't have the seat pad - I found it dumped on the street which is why I don't have any history to it.

E

I haven't seen the base attachment before either, if you mean the part on the seat. It looks like it's made of aluminum and the fasteners are just four slot-head screws...? This is an image of the real thing, unfortunately doesn't show the full seat, I guess because it was mainly to show the label. The ones I've seen have all been cast iron, I think.

One of my kids has a couple of the real thing but he's not at home at the moment and can't take some quick snaps to send me.

I think the velcro on the real ones is a bit wider than on your chair and also maybe placed closer to the center.

The seat should dip quite a bit in the center, too. Maybe yours does--can't tell from the angle of your photos.

The early examples I have both swivel & fixed (including the most recent dumpster dive side chair) have connections shown in the patent drawing (see image in dwell article link). It has a long slotted screw threaded at the end (accessed from the underside of base) & held in place by a black metal disc on the seat under the loose cushion.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dwell.com/amp/article/design-dictionary...

Your chair looks correct but it is hard to tell from the distortion of your images & the different base connection & I assume you already looked at the Knoll site for dimensions and overall shape of the chair...

https://www.knoll.com/product/tulip-arm-chair

Have you tried to google " how to spot a fake (or authentic) Tulip chair" or use the search box here at DA?

This might help too...

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/2565

And like spanky's chair, this is how the current versions are attached...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6B3X58vZSK0

Bases should be aluminum with a BR#, in minimoma's pic you can see the ALCOA mark. Perhaps this is a non-US version? Or a vintage copy from a company such as Gordon International-- I think they've done the chairs in the past.. http://www.gordoninternational.com/modern%20classics.html

Thanks to everyone for your links and suggestions. I measured the chair a while back against some dimensions I found on the web but I've just done it again using the Knoll link above and several of the measurements are off so I'm guessing it's a repro.

Still, it looks cool and it was free so I can't complain!

Thanks again.

Hello ! 

I have the same question for m two chairs.

are they original knoll ? how can i know?

Thank you!

By seeing the images which you have uploaded, I would say that its repro. Well, I am guessing it from the scratches which are visible on the base.

Recently inherited possible set of original tulip chairs- curious how to determine/confirm if original, were with same owner/location for over 50 years.  Thanks in advance.

Looks to be the Contemporary Shells version attributed to Arthur Umanoff.  Here's a tagged one with same stem and swivel design.   

I found two of these Tulip chairs on a roadside about 25 years ago (in the UK) and am interested to know if they are original versions? They do not have any markings or labels attached but do have the fibreglass shells and plastic coated aluminium bases.. One has a coloured base which is a gold/copper tone (not pictured) both have the same construction and age related marks. They are both fixed base versions and do have a fair bit of age about them but I am not sure if they are just historic repro versions? I cannot seem to find any info relating to chairs that have been produced under licence or in factories outside of the US. If anyone help with any additional info it would be much appreciated.

I also have a couple of tulip 'style' chairs. See pics attached. 

The mechanisms are old and rusty and make a terrible noise, so we don't use them - which is a shame. I'd like to try to replace the mechanisms, but if it is going to be difficult to find new ones, maybe I should leave them alone? 

Any thoughts on the type of chair they are or where I could find a replacement part would be greatly appreciated (I am in the UK) 

Thank you, I am trying to find a local restorer or metalworker who can replicate what is there. It would be a shame to just get rid of them because they are very nice. 

I was told when I bought them that they came out of an airport in the UK, but I can't verify that anywhere.