Paolo Buffa Dining Chairs for Marelli & Colico, Green Velvet, 1951, Set of 6
Paolo Buffa trained under Gio Ponti in Milan in the 1920s, and the neoclassical discipline he absorbed there remained the constant of his work throughout the mid-century. His furniture — produced in close collaboration with the finest Lombard ateliers, among them Marelli & Colico of Cantù — reads as a measured continuation of nineteenth-century Italian craft tradition rather than a rupture from it. The scalloped lower edge of the two horizontal backrest rails is the detail that makes this chair immediately recognizable: a motif that runs through much of Buffa's seating production, derived from classical ornament but applied with restraint. The turned front legs, with their spool-shaped collar at the seat junction, contrast with the squared rear stiles — a structural distinction that gives the chair its slight asymmetry front to back.
Height: 35.83 in (91 cm)
Width: 18.51 in (47 cm)
Depth: 18.51 in (47 cm)
Seat Height: 18.51 in (47 cm)
1951
1950-1959
Velvet, wood
Lonigo, IT
Our atelier carefully restored and reupholstered the item, with attention to structural integrity, materials, and finish. The process was guided by deep respect for its authenticity, balancing technical intervention and historical sensitivity.