Hi. I bought a Harry bertoia chair some years ago in Germany. The person who sold me told me that it was at least from the 70s, but I don't know how to be sure if it's a vintage bird chair, or how old is it even if it's real or a knockoff. I have read in old posts of the forum that old Bird chairs had not the Knoll stamp (mine has not the knoll stamp). I have also read that, regarding the back, the wire bars of the original chairs ends up ahead of the horizontal bar, and mine ends behind (you can see it in one of the pictures). I have also seen that, on the center of the chair, it looks like two wire bars doesn't reach the end. I don't know if it's right, or if they are broken, or if it's not real. I haven't found any info about the shockmounts, so I don't know if they are real, fake, old, new.... Here you can see some pictures. If anyone could help about the authenticity or the age I would apreciate it, because I can't find clear information about the bird chair. Thanks and sorry for my English.
Pictures fixed 1/2
Setvint, pictures are limited to approximately 500 pixels wide on DesignAddict, so it is generally better NOT to combine multiple photos as you have done here.
See "How do I add images to a post?": http://www.designaddict.com/tips_forum.html
On my vintage Bird chair
those two wires at the neck of the backrest don't quite reach to the edge. The gap is not as pronounced as on your chair, but I think that is only because newer chairs like yours are shaped slightly differently in that area.
My old chair has double-wire edges all around, so I cannot compare the configuration of the wires at the top of the backrest to yours.
Oh really?
I didn't know...
Oh really?
I didn't know that old chairs have double-wire edges all around. Good to know it!
So you don't know when it changes? I mean, when the chairs started having a wider neck of the backrest or when they started not having a double-wire edges all around? Maybe I could know how old my chair is.
And... if my chair is suposed to be new, why it has not the Knoll stamp on the wire? 🙁
Hi there. I have a new Knoll...
Hi there. I have a new Knoll production Bird Chair and on mine, there are double wires all along most of the edges, including the top of the chair, but they end along the bottom "corners", where the sides meet with the front. So a different pattern from what you both describe. The stamp is on the back of the horizontal bar.
Hi
I am not very familiar with the history of the Bird chair, but I know that Knoll modified the design numerous times over the course of its production. This is also true of the wire side chair and the Diamond (not so many changes with the Diamond though). I have seen examples such as yours on the web, but not in person. In my opinion, there is no reason to believe that your chair is not Knoll.
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