Wendell Castle

(1932-2018)

Seven Days of the Week Dining Table and Ten Chairs, 1997

ebonized mahogany, ash veneer, upholstery

signed 'Castle 97'

Table | H 29 x W 110 x D 66 inches, Chair | H 28 x W 24 x D 22 inches

Property from the Collection of Dr. Robert C. Springborn and Mrs. Carolyn J. Springborn, Naples, Florida

Exhibited:

"Wendell Castle" Bryan Ohno Gallery, Seattle, WA, October 2-November 8, 1997

"Living with Studio Furniture: Collection of Robert and Carolyn Springborn" Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL, January 16-June 28, 2009

Literature:

Naples Museum of Art, Living with Studio Furniture: Collection of Robert and Carolyn Springborn, exh. cat., Naples, 2009, illustrated p. 14, 24

Emily Evans Eerdmans, Wendell Castle, A Catalogue Raisonné 1958-2012, New York, 2014, illustrated p. 328, 366

Lot Essay:

As furniture forms go, dining tables are hard to get right: a horizontal expanse that hides the undercarriage from view, surrounded by a set of chairs further prevents the table from making a statement. Yet the dining table is also one of the most important pieces of furniture in a home, a social object, around which conversation, family and friendship form.

Wendell Castle, never one to shy from a challenge, returned to the typology often. He first tackled it in 1966, making three similar dining tables in walnut, one for his own use. All featured an ingenious means of opening up the form: a central aperture yielding a view down to a sculpted pedestal. These works exploit Castle’s signature stack lamination technique, which freed him from conventional joinery and allowed him to compose freely in space.

Four decades later he returned to this idea for a dining table that he nicknamed the “hole in one.” (It was made for the 2015 exhibition Wendell Castle Remastered, at the Museum of Arts and Design.) It sports a triad of conical supports, the tallest seven feet high, and a top that extends outward in a long cantilever. The design was achieved with CNC carving, which Castle employed to hollow out the wooden top, then filling it with hard light foam, and overlaying a veneer. The result is a featherlight shape that extends breathtakingly into midair.

Right at the midpoint between these two moments, in 1997, Castle created his Seven Days of the Week suite for the Springborns. He was on an impressive run, having just realized his monumental Star Cabinets (shown to great advantage at Peter Joseph Gallery in 1995). The strong organic silhouette of these designs is reprised in a more articulated form in the Seven Days pieces, all of which have legs suggestive of an arthropod’s. In the dining table, the legs stage a vivid contrast with the smooth asymmetrical top, recalling midcentury biomorphic designs by Isamu Noguchi.

The accompanying chairs feature continuous frames, running along the floor, up, around, and back again. Castle made many variations on this low-slung format enacts a sort of visual lean, yielding pride of place to the majestic table and its sculptural base. Yet another wholly original solution, from a wholly original designer.

-Glenn Adamson

Overall excellent stable condition. All chairs present well with light surface scuffs from age-related wear not immediately noticeable and in good stable condition. Original upholstery presents well and is free of major tears or discolorations. Table is structurally sound with even and consistent finish throughout,.

The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Freeman's staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.

The absence of a posted condition report on the Freeman's website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Freeman's.

Please email for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

To request further details about this lot, please email [email protected]

Hudson Berry

Director, Senior Specialist, Modern Design

[email protected]312.334.4217

Mr. Berry joined the firm in 2018, approaching the category of Design with a vision and aesthetic that has brought waves of accolades to the Hindman brand. He evaluates, researches, and catalogues over 3,000 works of design each year. Prior to joining Hindman, Mr. Berry served as co-founder of Condition Report Conservation, a conservation and restoration studio focused on 20th-century design, where he worked with some of the nation’s leading galleries, collectors, institutions, and design fairs.

Sabrina Granados

Associate Specialist, Modern Design

[email protected]312.447.3269

Please email for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

The Springborn Collection of Contemporary Craft

Seven Days of the Week Dining Table and Ten Chairs, 1997

The Springborn Collection of Contemporary Craft

Seven Days of the Week Dining Table and Ten Chairs, 1997

Lot Description

Condition Report

Preview

Auction Contact

Shipping | Pickup