CANSADO BENCH

THIRTEEN-SLAT BENCH IN SOLID MAHOGANY RESTING ON A BLACK-LACQUERED METAL  FRAME. DESIGNED BY CHARLOTTE PERRIAND AND PRODUCED BY STEPH SIMON BETWEEN 1959 AND 1967.

THIS EXAMPLE IS DISTINGUISHED BY THE QUALITY AND DEPTH OF ITS PATINA. THE MAHOGANY HAS DEVELOPED A DEEP PATINA OVER TIME, RESULTING IN A WARM, SATURATED TONE WITH SUBTLE VARIATIONS ACROSS THE SLATS. THE SURFACE RETAINS HONEST TRACES OF AGE AND USE, GIVING THE WOOD A SOFTNESS AND MATERIAL PRESENCE RARELY FOUND IN REFINISHED EXAMPLES. THE RHYTHM OF THE SLATS AND THE DENSITY OF THE TIMBER ARE HEIGHTENED BY THIS NATURALLY MATURED FINISH.

THE BLACK-LACQUERED METAL FRAME IS A BEAUTIFUL CONTRAST BETWEEN THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGN OF THE BASE AND THE RICHLY PATINATED MAHOGANY TOP. IT REFLECTS THE RESTRAINED MATERIAL LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTIC OF PERRIAND’S WORK DURING THIS PERIOD.

PROVENANCE
CANSADO MINING TOWN, MAURITANIA

LITERATURE
JACQUES BARSAC, CHARLOTTE PERRIAND, UN ART D’HABITER, 1903–1959, PARIS, 2005, P. 440 (SIMILAR MODELS ILLUSTRATED)
FRANÇOIS LAFFANOUR, STEPH SIMON, RETROSPECTIVE 1956–1974, PARIS, 2007

DIMENSIONS
H 23.5 CM
W 190 CM
D 70 CM

MADE IN FRANCE, CIRCA 1959