The prolific architect and designer Sergio Rodrigues is often called the "father of modern Brazilian design," but it is the second adjective in that phrase that deserves emphasis: Rodrigues’s great achievement was to create furniture in a style that captured the spirit, character and personality of his country.
Modernity came slowly to 20th-century Brazil, politically and culturally. The nation finally realized genuine constitutional democracy in 1945, ushering in a new, progressive era in the arts. More often than not, the luxurious furnishings of that time and place, with their gleaming wood, soft leathers and inviting shapes, share a sensuous, uniquely Brazilian quality that distinguishes them from the more rectilinear output of American mid-century modernists and Scandinavian makers of the same era. Until that time in Brazil, heavy furniture based on historical European models had been the norm.
In the late 1940s, designer Joaquim Tenreiro introduced sleek, minimalist chairs and cabinets; José Zanine Caldas, now best known for his later artisanal work, created plywood furnishings for mass production; the Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi, a former editor for the Gio Ponti-founded magazine Domus — and a furniture designer with talent, imagination and a social conscience — set up shop in São Paulo, designing elegant, flexible chairs set on slim metal frames.
This was the heady scene into which Rodrigues, the son of an artistically prominent Rio de Janeiro family, arrived after graduating in 1952 from the national university. He moved to Curitiba and helped establish the furniture manufacturer Móveis Artesanal with Italian designer Carlo Hauner and Austrian architect Martin Eisler — as well as Carlo’s brother Ernesto Hauner — which eventually rebranded as Forma. Later, Rodrigues relocated to Rio de Janeiro where he founded Oca in 1955, a company that would become the preeminent maker and retailer of modernist furniture in Brazil.
When architects Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer were tasked in 1956 with the whirlwind project to plan, design and build the new capital, Brasília, in five years, they used Rodrigues’s early chairs, with their softly-contoured lines and caned seats and backrests, to furnish many of the buildings.
Rodrigues would realize the true expression of his talents in — and garner international awards and acclaim with — his Mole chair of 1957. The word mole means "soft" in Portuguese, but can be interpreted as "easygoing" or even "listless." The chair, which is also known as the Sheriff chair, features a sturdy, generously proportioned frame of the native South American hardwood jacaranda, upholstered with overstuffed leather pads that flap like saddlebags across the arms, seat, and backrest.
Rodrigues's Mole chair invites sprawling — perfect for the social milieu of the bossa nova and caipirinha cocktails; where a languorous afternoon spent chatting and joking is the apex of enjoyment. The seat won first prize at the IV Concorso Internazionale del Mobile in Cantù, Italy, in 1961, and ISA Bergamo acquired the rights to manufacture a modified version of Rodrigues’s original design.
In 1963, Rodrigues established a shop called Meia-Pataca, which sold simpler and more affordable furniture he had designed, such as his Tonico seating, which was intended for student housing.
Most of the estimated 1,200 armchairs, sofas, tables, storage cabinets and dining tables Rodrigues created in his long career are imbued, in one way or another, with the air of robust relaxation that defines the Mole chair. He was a designer who was true to the temperament of his people.
Find vintage Sergio Rodrigues furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Floor Lamp, Italy, 1980
By Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Azucena
Located in Barcelona, ES
Luigi Caccia Dominioni (1913-2016) Floor lamp Manufactured by Azucena, Italy, 1980. Cast iron, copper-plated metal, brass, pressed glass Measurements 40cmx185hcm 101,6 in x 469,9 ...
Metal, Brass, Iron
Pietro Chiesa, Floor Lamp "Luminator", Italy, 1963
By Pietro Chiesa
Located in Barcelona, ES
Pietro Chiesa (1913-2016) Floor lamp model “Luminator” Manufactured by Fontana Arte Italy, 1963 Painted steel and concrete base covered in brass. Measurements 33 Ø cm x 186h cm 12,99 Ø in x 73,22h in Literature Domus, n. 115, luglio, 1937, p. 16, pubblicita`; F. Deboni, Fontana Arte. Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand, Allemandi Editore, Torino, 2012, ill. 95, 96. Condition Some dents on the edges and corrosions over the lamshade and base. Biography Pietro Chiesa (born 1892, Milan–died 1948...
Steel
Robert Mathieu, Floor Lamp "Pendulum", France, 1952
By Robert Mathieu
Located in Barcelona, ES
Robert Mathieu (1921-2002) Floor lamp model 56 or “Pendulum” Manufactured by Arteluce France, 1952 Brass, fabric Measurements: 190 cm height 74.8 in height Biography R...
Brass
Lisa Johansson-Pape Table Lamp Manufactured by Orno, Finland, 1950
By Lisa Johansson-Pape
Located in Barcelona, ES
Lisa Johansson-Pape Table lamp Manufactured by Orno Finland, 1950 Brass, leather, canvas shade From the archives of Side Gallery. Barcelona Measurements 10 cm x 10 cm x 69 H cm 3.93 in x 3.93 in x 27.10 H in Literature Design Musuem, Lisa Johansson-Pape, Helsinki, 1986; Ornamo, Helsinki, 1962 Bio Finnish designer Lisa Johansson-Pape enjoyed a long and varied career in lighting, furniture, textile, and ceramic design. She was one of Finland’s leading lighting designers in the 20th century and was instrumental in promoting Finnish design internationally. Born in 1907, Lisa Johansson-Pape studied at the Industrial Art Institute in Helsinki University of Art & Design (Now Aalto University of Art & Design), graduating in 1928. She worked as a furniture designer for Kylmäkoski and Stockmann and created carpets for the Friends of Finnish Handicraft, before turning her attention to lighting design. She collaborating with the Stockmann-owned lighting factory Orno from 1942, famously remarking, “it was quite by accident that I became a design light artist. By education, I am a furniture designer, but I had to make lamps during the war.” Notable designs include the Lisa (1947), Sipuli (1954), and Laura (1957) pendant lamps. The Sipuli, often referred to by the English translation Onion, resembles the form of the vegetable for which it was named. The angular design in opaline glass was awarded a gold medal at the Triennale di Milano in 1954, which was just one of several prizes Johansson-Pape received in her career; she was also awarded a silver medal at the 1951 Triennale...
Brass
Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet, Floor Lamp “Tripode”, France, 1950
By Adrien Audoux and Frida Minnet
Located in Barcelona, ES
ADRIEN AUDOUX & FRIDA MINET Floor Lamp model “Tripode” Manufactured by Audoux-Minet France, 1950 Rope, fabric shades Measurements 180h cm 70,85h in Biography Union des Artistes Mo...
Fabric, Rope
Floor Lamp Model "Lyndon" by Vico Magistretti
By Vico Magistretti
Located in Barcelona, ES
Floor Lamp Model "Lyndon" Manufactured by O-Luce Italy, 1977 Stainless steel (AISI) and brass, clear glass diffusers Measurements 265h cm height 104,3h in height Details Manufacturer...
Brass, Stainless Steel
French Metal Floor Lamp, Adjustable Shade by Roger Fatus for Disderot, 1960s
By Roger Fatus, Pierre Disderot
Located in Antwerp, BE
Minimal modern Roger Fatus floor lamp for Disderot, 1960s with cylindrical metal tripod base and can be raised or lowered. Adjustable in height, surmounted by a cream lamp shade all ...
Metal
Floor Lamp LT3 by Ignazio Gardella for Azucena, Italy, 1950's
By Ignazio Gardella, Azucena
Located in Piacenza, Italy
This floor lamp, known as LT3, was designed by Ignazio Gardella and produced by Azucena (Italy 1950s). The lamp can be either a reading lamp or a taller uplight, depending on the pos...
Marble, Brass
Model 5353 Floor Lamp by Willem Hagoort for Hagoort, 1960's, 2 Available
By Willem Hagoort
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This stunning floor lamp, model 5353, was designed by Willem Hagoort for Hagoort Lamps in the 1960's. It has a metal tripod nickel base with wengé details and a metal inner shade wit...
Metal, Aluminum, Nickel
Arquimedes Floor Lamp by Bernal and Isern for Tramo, Spain, 1974
By Tramo, Gemma Bernal
Located in Barcelona, ES
Arquimedes floor lamp designed in 1974 by Gemma Bernal and Ramón Isern for Tramo, Spain. Belonging to the Archimedes lamp collection, the floor version adopts different positions tha...
Metal, Aluminum
Mid Century Floor Lamp by Brusotti
By Luigi Brusotti
Located in London, GB
Unusual standard lamp designed by Brusotti with base of ebonised wood and etched mirror in a star design. The stem comprises glass rods held in place with chrome collars. There is a ...
Glass
Rupert Nikoll Floor lamp with fabric shade vienna around 1950s
By Rupert Nikoll
Located in Wien, Au
Rupert Nikoll Floor lamp with fabric shade vienna around 1950s Brass polished and stove enameled The base is partly blackened The fabric shade is replaced ( new )
Brass
