Large George Nakashima 12-Drawer Dresser for Widdicomb
About the Item
- Creator:George Nakashima (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 105 in (266.7 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Style:Organic Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading. Recently polished. Good overall condition with some minor imperfections. Minor scratches.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7058239616182
George Nakashima
A master woodworker and M.I.T.-trained architect, George Nakashima was the leading light of the American Studio furniture movement. Along with Wharton Esherick, Sam Maloof and Wendell Castle, Nakashima was an artisan who disdained industrial methods and materials in favor of a personal, craft-based approach to the design. What sets Nakashima apart is the poetic style of his work, his reverence for wood and the belief that his furniture could evince — as he put it in the title of his 1981 memoir — The Soul of a Tree.
Born in Spokane, Washington, to Japanese immigrants, Nakashima traveled widely after college, working and studying in Paris, Japan and India, and at every stop he absorbed both modernist and traditional design influences. The turning point in Nakashima’s career development came in the United States in 1942, when he was placed in an internment camp for Asian-Americans in Idaho. There, Nakashima met a master woodcarver who tutored him in Japanese crafting techniques. A former employer won Nakashima’s release and brought him to bucolic New Hope, Pennsylvania, where Nakashima set up a studio and worked for the rest of his life.
Nakashima’s singular aesthetic is best captured in his custom-made tables and benches — pieces that show off the grain, burls and whorls in a plank of wood. He left the “free edge,” or natural contour, of the slab un-planed, and reinforced fissures in the wood with “butterfly” joints. Almost all Nakashima seating pieces have smooth, milled edges. Nakashima also contracted with large-scale manufacturers to produce carefully supervised editions of his designs. Knoll has offered his Straight chair — a modern take on the spindle-backed Windsor chair — since 1946; the now-defunct firm Widdicomb-Mueller issued the Shaker-inspired Origins collection in the 1950s.
Nelson Rockefeller in 1973 gave Nakashima his single largest commission: a 200-piece suite for his suburban New York estate. Today, Nakashima furniture is collected by both the staid and the fashionable: his work sits in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as in the homes of Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, Diane von Furstenberg and the late Steve Jobs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Philadelphia, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Mira Nakashima Conoid Lounge ChairBy George NakashimaLocated in New York, NYDesigned by George Nakashima and executed by Mira Nakashima. A truly gorgeous piece of craftsmanship, this Conoid lounge chair is perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces we've ever...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American American Craftsman Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Large Modernist Mirror Philippe StarckBy Philippe StarckLocated in New York, NYThis was a custom floor mirror designed for the Delano Miami Hotel renovations, overseen by Philippe Starck in 1994. This mirror does not have any ident...Category
1990s American Modern Floor Mirrors and Full-Length Mirrors
MaterialsHardwood
- Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt ChairsBy Christian LiaigreLocated in New York, NYA pair of large beautiful ivory suede slipper chairs raised on exposed espresso wooden legs with single detached ivory linen back cushion. From luxury manufacturer Holly Hunt. H...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsSuede
- Christian Liaigre 'Abyss' Table for Holly HuntBy Christian LiaigreLocated in New York, NYChristian Liaigre 'Abyss' dining table, 2010s Ebonized oak. Manufactured for Holly Hunt, USA. 29.75" H x 94.5" W x 35" D Overall very good condition. Light wear throughout. Cust...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsHardwood
- Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt Square Leather OttomanBy Christian LiaigreLocated in New York, NYPresenting a huge leather seating or cocktail table option for home or office. Creamy black leather. Beautiful minimalist design by Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt...Category
Early 2000s American Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather
- Set of 6: Pierre Jeanneret Office Chairs AhmedabadBy Pierre JeanneretLocated in New York, NYA breathtaking set of very early Pierre Jeanneret Office Chairs. With so many Jeanneret chairs on the market why are these exceptional? First: the thickness of the wood is perfect and in accordance with some of the best examples ever sold. Second: rich, expressive patina on each chair. Third: matching catalog letters. Fourth: double support bars under the chair. Undoubtedly, these are extremely rare examples. Also it is worth noting that these chairs come from Ahmedabad, a city historically active in India’s textile...Category
Vintage 1950s Indian Modern Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- George Nakashima Origins Dresser for WiddicombBy George NakashimaLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nakashima design dresser for his Origins line by Widdicomb, 1959. Dramatic wood grain figuring throughout the body of the case and trapezoidal shape top extending to 105"in. w...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- George Nakashima "Origins' Walnut Dresser for WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., George NakashimaLocated in San Diego, CAA very rare and exceptional mid-century Organic Modern monumental triple dresser. The Origins Group was created by George Nakashima, widely considered one of the world's greatest ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Nakashima Dresser for Widdicomb OriginsBy George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Chicago, ILNakashima Dresser for Widdicomb Orgins Line in walnut wood with oil finish, The angeled One inch-thick top overhangs a six-drawer case with carved horizontal handles. Solid-turned wa...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
- George Nakashima Monumental Sculpted Walnut Dresser for Widdicomb, RestoredBy George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in South Bend, INA very rare and exceptional mid-century Organic Modern monumental triple dresser, sideboard, or credenza By George Nakashima for Widdicomb Furniture, "Origins" Collection USA, 1960...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- George Nakashima Sculpted Walnut Dresser for Widdicomb, Newly RestoredBy George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in South Bend, INA very rare and exceptional mid-century Organic Modern monumental triple dresser, sideboard, or credenza By George Nakashima for Widdicomb Furniture, "Origins" Collection USA, 1961...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- George Nakashima "Origins" Widdicomb Walnut Tall Chest Dresser 1962By George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Camden, MEGeorge Nakashima tall chest for Widdicomb's "Origins" line of furniture that was manufactured between 1958 - 1963. This is an Interesting e...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass