Gerrit Rietveld “Zig-Zag” Chair by Cassina n° 859, Italy 1973

This early year ‘Zig Zag’ chair by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina are the holy grail of collectors pieces. Extremely rare and coveted, original ‘Zig Zag’ chairs are a part of design history, residing in museums, private collectors and art /design investors hands. This of highly sought-after early year Cassina production Zig Zag chairs feature the early Cassina stamp under the chair (see photos) 859

In the early 1930s, department store Metz & Co. asked Gerrit Rietveld to design a chair for mass production. The Dutch architect agreed, proposing a Z-shaped perch made from four slices of sturdy elm supported by dovetail joints and metal screws. It was no standard seat but, to everyone’s surprise, the armless, legless, cantilevered form—a mere sliver in profile—was simultaneously comfortable and sturdy. “It is not a chair but a designer’s joke,” Gerrit famously said of his Zig-Zag.