How To Know That Cesca Knoll Chairs Are Real
The cesca chair like many other pre war design icons from the first generation of modernism is much more commonly encountered as a knock off often a rather sloppy knock off than as the real thing.
How to know that cesca knoll chairs are real. In large part it was the breuer collection that motivated knoll to acquire gavina in 1968. Like much of the modernist design that hailed from the 1920s its aesthetic is universal and timeless. Not legit versions and inferior copies will always have end caps even if they are marked with a made in italy label. I d have loved to have been able to offer real knoll chairs but at least i won t have to ask 200 each for these.
Gavina was an italian company and knoll has made these chairs in italy for years though perhaps not exclusively in italy. Along with the wassily chair the collection included the cesca side chair and laccio table collection both modern classics in their own right. Jscooke415 images shows all the correct details of an authentic breuer cesca chairs anything that does not are knockoffs even examples marked made in italy. Not everybody wants to spend knoll money on a set of dining chairs.
Gavina knoll and other correct wassily versions by others will have polished welded ends no end caps. But breuer who worked with both gavina and knoll made some design changes over the years. The sleek modernist design with its chrome legs and cane seat became a mass produced favourite in america and europe. Knoll offers the cesca chair with a darker wood frame that dramatically contrasts against the cane rattan back and seat.
Marcel breuer designed the cesca chair by merging traditional craftsmanship with industrial methods and materials. Unfortunately the look alikes and all the bad knockoffs are the ones that made this design ubiquitous. The cesca chair designed in 1928 is nearly 90 years old. Not being knoll is a mixed bag.
Other than a tag i can t tell you what will positively id them but to look for quality i would check if the metal tube is all one piece does the back rest have that ergonomic curve are the end caps on the metal smooth welds. Made with european beechwood this scandi version makes it possible to get the breuer inspired dining room setup even with a moderate budget. Don t have a knoll to compare these to. Those labels seem suspicious.
The brands that you are looking for are knoll cassina or thonet. The same applies for a real cesca arm and side chairs. But you certainly wouldn t know by looking at it.