Side Chair
Richard Riemerschmid
German, 1868–1957
c. 1898-99
A compact oak side chair upholstered in leather, designed around 1898–99 by Richard Riemerschmid to express simple, handcrafted construction while providing comfortable seating for the modern home.
The taut, saddle-like leather seat and gently curved backrest are held within a skeletal oak frame of sweeping diagonal supports that create elegant triangular profiles, giving the chair an airy, architectural poise.
Bridging Arts and Crafts integrity and early modernist clarity, the chair helped remove applied ornament in favor of honest materials, economical construction, and a geometric vocabulary that influenced twentieth‑century European furniture design.
Medium
Oak with leather upholstery
Dimensions
30 3/4 x 19 1/4 x 18 3/4" (78.1 x 48.9 x 47.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Liberty & Co., Ltd.
Accession
112.1960
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
