OBJECT 4

The Zig Zag chair.

Best known for his 1918 RED AND BLUE CHAIR and the Schroeder House in Utrecht (1924), Gerrit T. Rietveld was at once a meticulous cabinetmaker and an avant-garde architect. The ZIG ZAG CHAIR which he designed in 1934 (pictured above) was most likely Rietveld’s response to Theo van Doesburg’s call for a resolution to the tension between vertical and horizontal lines.

At first glance, ZIG ZAG appears to be fragile and one could not be faulted for expecting this chair to collapse when sat upon. Fear not. The chair can hold its own by means of dovetail joints and corner wedges (The original design also had screws and bolts but these are no longer used.). Rietveld actually described this chair as a “designer joke”. Not a comfortable chair by any means, ZIG ZAG is visually striking on account of the very acute intersection of the four planes that make it up.
In 1972, Cassina was granted exclusive worldwide rights to produce and market furniture and other objects designed by G.T.Rietveld. The modern version is now made of cherry wood with a natural polished finish. Always a subject of conversation and included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, ZIG ZAG continues to rank among the design icons of the last century.
I’ve had my ZIG ZAG for over 15 years and although for the most part it has brought me a great deal of joy, it did, for a short period manage to become a source of considerable angst. Shortly after moving into QUICKSWOOD, some 15 years ago, we got Pasta, a mixed breed German Shepherd. One evening, we came back from a dinner party to find that the dog had taken a liking to the ZIG ZAG and eaten the whole front corner where the seat intersects the diagonal upright. I was beside myself! “Off with her head!!” was my first reaction. By the next day, I had calmed down sufficiently to attempt to find a solution to the disaster. I brought the chair to Andre Hubbard, cabinetmaker and fine furniture restorer the on Burnt House Hill. He and his assistants were shocked at the extent of the damage but agreed to attempt a repair. Two weeks later, the chair was returned to me with nary a trace of the canine attack. Hubbard and his crew had managed to perform their equivalent of plastic surgery so that none but the most discerning eye would pick-up the scar. That night, I returned the ZIG ZAG to its place of honor on the landing thinking that both the dog and I had recovered sufficiently from our respective posttraumatic stress. The next few days served to fade the memory of the defaced objet d’art.
Oh but how life can be unfair. Not being an animal behaviorist, I’m am still at a loss to explain this but…yes…you guessed it, the bloody beast had another go at it! Damnation and all the curses of hell on you, dog!@#! Josée did a good job of restraining me lest I get in trouble with the RSPCA. Same corner but this time with a bit more gusto! This dog must have taken a liking to cherry wood. So back to Mr. Hubbard I went and I kid you not that the lady who had done most of the restorative work on it the first time started crying. Fix it again they did (Needless to say, this was getting to be a pretty expensive chair.), and to the same level of perfection as the first time, I might add. This time however, I took no chances: “Twice burnt, third time very shy.” You may think this is crazy but I resorted to “invisibly” fencing off the chair. The dog was already conditioned to invisible fencing around the property so it took no time at all to have her understand that an electric awaited her if she got within 4 feet of the ZIG ZAG. Even though we removed the invisible fencing a year later, the dog never went close to that chair again. I guess she had lost the taste for cherry wood.
You can see more photos of my ZIG ZAG here
….and try to spot the restored bit.

Joseph Froncioni

Comments

[dog fences]

the zig zag chair given is looking nice in bedroom furniture.

[underground fence]

Looks cool, I think it's quite cool for my living room area!!