Rare Signed & Dated Book by Sam Maloof Furniture
About the Item
- Creator:Sam Maloof (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2002
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU936632460332
Sam Maloof
Along with George Nakashima and Wendell Castle, the woodworker Sam Maloof was a guiding spirit of the American Studio furniture movement — a postwar revival of craftsmanship fueled by a reverence for skilled labor and a disdain for mass-produced furnishings composed of plastic and other synthetic materials. Maloof brought a modern interpretation to traditional seating and cabinetry forms, and in doing so he created some of the most beautiful and artfully made furniture seen in the country since the 19th-century heyday of the Shakers.
Maloof was born in then-rural Chino, California, east of Los Angeles. His parents were immigrants from Lebanon, then still part of the Ottoman Empire. Maloof’s father sold fruits and vegetables from a cart, and his mother sold her handmade lace and embroidery. It was through her, Maloof would later say, that he found a love of fine craftsmanship.
Maloof tinkered with woodcarving as a boy, making things such as dollhouse furniture, but in high school he became known for his calligraphy and hand-lettered posters and signs. Into his 30s, Maloof made a modest living as a graphic artist. But in 1948, he and his newlywed bride, Alfreda Ward, a crafts teacher, moved into a new house. To save money, Maloof made their furniture from scrap oak planks, and he so clearly loved the work that his wife persuaded him to make woodworking his profession. Within two years, Maloof’s furniture was getting attention in the press, and in 1951 he received his first significant commission when the industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss hired him to make chairs and cabinets for a new office in Pasadena.
Entirely self-taught, Maloof was an intuitive designer, with a natural sense of scale and proportion. He never sketched plans for a piece in advance; on chairs, he said he worked from the legs up. Maloof used no metal hardware in his furniture; rather than bolts or screws, his pieces derive their strength and integrity solely from Maloof’s painstaking joinery.
Though he made all types of furniture, Maloof is best known for his rocking chairs. His are instantly recognizable by their long glides and attenuated, gently curved spindled backrests. Maloof lavished long hours shaping and sanding his chairs to conform to the human body, then oiling and rubbing the wood to give it a silky tactility.
Vintage Sam Maloof furniture is scarce, if not rare: At his peak of productivity in the 1970s, Maloof (by then, working with three assistants) made an estimated 300 pieces a year. His tables and smaller cabinets are priced at around $15,000; because they are his signature forms, rocking chairs made of walnut bring about twice that, more in exotic woods such as tiger maple and rosewood.
As you will see on 1stDibs, Sam Maloof designs are exemplary objects of both beauty and utility — warm, welcoming and rich in honest character.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- "I, Me, Mine" Book and Slipcover Publisher's Edition Signed by Roylances'Located in San Diego, CAI ME MINE (PUBLISHER'S COPIES) The Boxed Set, 2017 Cherished by fans and collectors, I ME MINE is the closest we will come to George Harrison's autobiography. This edition has been ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Books
MaterialsPaper
- "November 26, 1963" JFK Limited Edition Book Signed by Ben Shahn & W. BerryBy Ben ShahnLocated in San Diego, CA"November Twenty Six Nineteen Hundred Sixty Three / November 26, 1963" John F. Kennedy book with sleeve signed by artist, Ben Shahn and poet, Wendell Berry, circa 1964. This limited ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Books
MaterialsPaper
- "Surfiings Golden Age 1960 - 1969" Grannis Book Signed by Mike Doyle, OthersBy Mike DoyleLocated in San Diego, CA"Surfiings Golden Age 1960 - 1969" Grannis first edition book by Jeff Girard signed by surf pioneers Mike Doyle, Corky Carroll, Steve Pezman and LeRoy "Gran...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Books
MaterialsPaper
- "Bing Surfboards" Book by Paul Hoimes Signed by Bing Copeland - First EditionLocated in San Diego, CAFirst edition "Bing Surfboards - Fifty Years of Craftsmanship & Innovation" book signed by Bing Copeland, circa 2008. The book, written by, Paul Holmes...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Books
MaterialsPaper
- "Common Nonsense" First Edition Book Signed by Legendary Commentator Andy RooneyLocated in San Diego, CA"Common Nonsense" first edition book signed by legendary "60 Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney at Warwick's Books in La Jolla, CA in January, 2003. The book is in very good condition and includes the dust jacket. #3273 Andrew Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) was an American radio and television writer who was best known for his weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney", a part of the CBS...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Books
MaterialsPaper
- "Return of the Enola Gay" Book Signed by Pilot Paul W. Tibbets & Duth Van KirkLocated in San Diego, CA"Return of the Enola Gay" book hand signed by pilot Paul W. Tibbets and navigator Dutch Van Kirk (who actually initiated the release of the bomb), circa 2005...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Books
MaterialsPaper
- Rare Rosewood Sam Maloof Music Stand 1970sBy Sam MaloofLocated in Pawtucket, RIExceptionally rare, and possibly unique, music stand by noted Californian craftsman Sam Maloof. Exquisitely crafted in East Indian rosewood. Fully adjustable and very finely detailed...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Music Stands
MaterialsRosewood, Walnut
- Sam Maloof Music StandBy Sam MaloofLocated in New York, NYBeautiful walnut architectural music stand by Sam Maloof, circa 1965.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Music Stands
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- Collecting Chinese Art Book by Sam BernsteinLocated in North Hollywood, CACollecting Chinese Art Book by Sam Bernstein. Much of what we know about early Chinese art is undergoing change in light of recent archaeological dis...Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Books
MaterialsPaper
- Signed "Rattan Furniture" First Edition Coffee Table Book by Harvey SchwartzBy Harvey SchwartzLocated in Van Nuys, CAOriginal brand new 1st edition copy of Rattan Furniture: Tropical Comfort Throughout The House signed by author Harvey Schwartz. Request a personal message written by the author at...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Books
MaterialsPaper
- "Cape Furniture" Book by M. G. AtmoreBy M.G. AtmoreLocated in valatie, NYCape Furniture by M. G. Atmore. Cape Town: Howard Timmins, 1965. Hardcover with dust jacket. 244 pp. A comprehensive study of antique furniture made in Cape Cod Massachusetts. It includes chapters on chairs, seated furniture, tables and sideboards, cupboards and cabinets, armoires and wardrobes...Category
20th Century American Books
MaterialsPaper
- 1962 New Furniture 6 BookBy Gerd HatjeLocated in Seguin, TXNew Furniture 6 edited by Gerd Hatje. Published by Frederic A. Praeger, New York, 1962. The sixth volume in this important series on contemporary furniture of the 1960s. Gray cloth...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Books
MaterialsPaper