Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) drew two of the most reproduced chairs of the twentieth century, the Wassily (1925) and the Cesca (1928). Both are in chromed tubular steel, both were born at the Bauhaus and both are produced today by Knoll. On the vintage market, however, they hold very different places.
Wassily, one of the first tubular steel chairs (1925)
Designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925 while he was teaching at the Bauhaus in Dessau, the Wassily (originally model B3) was inspired by the tubular frame of Breuer's Adler bicycle. It is one of the first chairs built in tubular steel, and one of the first to bring industrial production into domestic furniture. The name comes from Wassily Kandinsky, painter and Breuer's colleague at the Bauhaus, who had one in his flat.
Structure: chromed steel tubes bent and assembled into a frame, with leather straps stretched between the tubes to form the seat, the back and the arms. The comfort comes from the tension of the leather, not from cushions.
Successive makers: Standard-Möbel (1925-1927), Thonet (1928-1932), Gavina (1962-1968), then Knoll since 1968, in continuous production under exclusive licence. The Standard-Möbel and Thonet editions are now mostly found in museums.
Cesca, Breuer's cantilever chair (1928)
The Cesca was designed by Marcel Breuer in 1928. Its name is short for Francesca, Breuer's daughter. The cantilever structure, with no back legs, had been invented by Mart Stam in 1926 for tubular chairs; in 1928 Breuer proposed a pared-down version with a seat and back in bent wood and caning. His version became the model for the modernist cantilever chair.
Structure: chromed steel tube bent into an S, with no back legs, the user's weight being carried by the flex of the tube. Seat and back in bent wood, fitted with traditional Vienna caning. Two versions exist: the Cesca chair, without arms, and the Cesca armchair, with arms.
Successive makers: Thonet (1928-1932), then several scattered editions, Gavina (1962-1968), then Knoll since 1968. Also reissued by Stendig in the 1970s and 1980s under Knoll licence.
The two chairs side by side
| Criterion | Wassily (1925) | Cesca (1928) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Lounge armchair | Chair (with or without arms) |
| Structure | Closed tubular frame | Cantilever (no back legs) |
| Seat/back | Stretched leather straps | Bent wood + Vienna caning |
| Initial production | Standard-Möbel, Thonet | Thonet, then scattered editions |
| Continuous edition | Knoll since 1968 | Knoll since 1968 + Stendig 1970-80 |
| Secondary market | Narrow (collector's piece) | Broad (everyday chair) |
Recognising the authentic piece
Wassily
- Knoll Studio marking, serial number and Marcel Breuer signature engraved on the tubular structure (usually on the inner face of an arm)
- Leather straps marked Knoll on the inside, with stitched seams
- Deep chrome on the vintage editions of 1968-1990
- Well-finished tubes and joints: copies often give themselves away with rough welds
Cesca
- Knoll Studio marking (or Stendig for 1970-1985) and Breuer signature engraved on the structure
- Hand-woven Vienna caning (copies use pre-woven industrial sheet caning)
- Original bent beech (copies use a lighter wood)
- A firm cantilever: the chair should flex slightly when you sit down, without creaking
Two different markets
The Wassily and the Cesca do not sell in the same way.
The Wassily is a collector's piece. Made in small numbers before the war, it remains relatively rare in vintage Knoll editions too, since it is an expensive armchair made in smaller quantities. People buy it as a design piece more than as an everyday seat, and it sells for considerably more than the Cesca.
The Cesca is an everyday chair. Thonet, Stendig and several licensed makers produced it in large numbers over sixty years, and a great many are in circulation. Prices per chair therefore stay moderate. Original sets of four to eight chairs are rarer and sell for more than the same number of single chairs.
Which one to choose?
The Wassily if you are looking for an armchair for a reading corner, a study, or as a focal piece in a living room.
The Cesca if you are looking for dining or desk chairs with character without a large outlay. A set of four to eight period Cesca chairs is a sensible way to live with original modernist furniture.
At LAPIERRE MARKET
We look mainly for Knoll and Stendig editions from 1968 to 1990. Every piece is checked before sale: leather and chrome on the Wassily, caning and cantilever on the Cesca.
If you are looking for a Wassily or a set of period Cesca chairs, write to us: we reply within 24 business hours and look for a piece that matches your criteria.
By
LAPIERRE MARKET
