I recently purchased a couple of these chairs ex US Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand. They are approx 25+ years old, in excellent condition considering the era and appear to be identical to the Knoll in dimensions, weight, frame finish, stitching, straps etc. Unusually they are polished stainless, not chromed.
They don't, however, have the Knoll stamp on the underside of the leg. Does this mean they are not original? I did hear from a local designer furniture shop that the manufacturers stamp is a recent occurance?
If anyone could help me authentic the chairs that would be wonderful.
Thankyou
roast
that stamp started to appear in 2002 by knoll
There are a lot of Barcelona's made in Italy in the 60 and 70s that are not stamped and are considered great chairs
I saw so many sets when i was in Italy 2 years ago, at several hotels.
They had a nice worn look and i being curious looked for a knoll sticker or shop ticket or state tag, these chairs all were manufactured in Italy in the late 60s as the leather had a nice worn patina on it
I would not be afraid to have any one of those chairs in my collection for quality,
Barcelona Chairs
We just had a set of Barcelona chairs in from the sixties that were somewhat difficult to identify as authentic or fake. We ended up sending some photos off to the helpful people at Knoll Europe who ultimately pronounced it a fake. Anyhow a few quick clues that may help sort out an authentication:
The most obvious point is the number of straps. MVR specified 8 straps to be attached to the back of the chair. Another point to look at is how the straps are attached to the chair. The straps should be attached directly to the frame, not looped around and attached leather to leather via a rivet or button. Piping on the cushions, along with them "form-fitting" to the slightly curved seat back can also be a give away. Also check that the dimensions exactly correspond to the dimensions for an authentic Barcelona chair.
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