Set of Eight Regina Dining Chairs in Walnut by Officina Rivadossi, Italy 1968

We have written before about the Italian woodworker Giuseppe Rivadossi and his difficult to match status as such. It’s better to call him an artist. Rivadossi, who has a profound fascination with humans and the cosmos but also enters into a dialogue with history and tradition, shows that his life's work is anything but a superficial exercise. This time we present a set of eight phenomenal dining room chairs called Regina from the maestro from Brescia that saw the light of day in 1986. In the early 1980s, Rivadossi concentrated his attention on the architectural aspect of wooden construction, leaving aside the most visionary solutions to obtain an increasingly refined operational technology tailored to the materials, adapting the dimensions of the structures studied in relation to their function.

Design
Take a good look at these Regina chairs and an explanation begins to emerge as to why these complex connections and techniques were chosen. There is so much more to it. We do him little justice to summarize his ideology in a nutshell, but when it comes to the philosophy behind Rivadossi's creations in general, we have to look in metaphysics. The reason for his complex creations and technical aspects such as wood joints and other processing techniques such as the typical gouging, is that the viewer thinks beyond just the appearance of the physical object. He refers to nature, the origin of the materials, and why for instance the chair is constructed this way. The thoughts behind it if you will.

But let’s move over to a succinct explanation of this set. The chairs are made of walnut wood and have been evenly patinated over the years, creating an exquisite golden brown appearance. Box joint connections can be seen on the front legs and backrest and immediately stand out as a kind of ornaments. The curved seat and backrest guarantee ergonomic seating comfort and aesthetic class. Shadow play created by the many angles, artisanal connections, and of course the signature of the gouging, give this set its unique and unmistakable character of a Rivadossi creation. And last but not least the chairs are marked on the back with Officina Rivadossi.

Condition
Finally, we would like to indicate that the condition of the chairs is good with light signs of use here and there. One box joint connection and seat require restoration and will be repaired in our workshop. An overall inspection of the joinery per chair will also be done.

Literature
G. Cortenova, “Giuseppe Rivadossi Il Custode Del Tempo”, Marsilio, p. 79.