PJ-R-27-B 5-Hole File Rack

A rare and characterful five-compartment rack designed by Pierre Jeanneret for the institutional buildings of Chandigarh, India.

Details

• Designer: Pierre Jeanneret

• Origin: Chandigarh, India

• Period: Mid-20th century

• Dimensions: To be confirmed

• Provenance: Chandigarh institutional buildings

• Original marking: MLA / CH / A-BLOCK / 13

Description

The 5-hole rack is something of an anomaly within the Chandigarh furniture collection. It retains the balance, structure and minimalist functionalism characteristic of Pierre Jeanneret's designs, yet its asymmetrical composition gives it a distinct character when compared with the more familiar 6-hole rack.

The carpenters and workshops tasked with producing thousands of pieces for Chandigarh's institutional buildings had little reason to introduce embellishment or unnecessary detailing. Some seventy years later, the purity of these objects lies precisely in their honesty and simplicity. Their construction is direct, their function evident, and their character shaped as much by use as by design.

At General Goods, we prefer to restore pieces softly, preserving the beauty of time, patina and use. This means little or no polishing, and no attempt to fill every nook, cranny or imperfection. We believe these traces are part of an object's history, not something to be erased.

This particular example retains an interesting original institutional marking, MLA / CH / A-BLOCK / 13, adding another layer to its history.

For those who appreciate their Jeanneret pieces raw, honest and untouched by over-restoration, this is a particularly appealing acquisition.

We ship worldwide and are happy to answer any questions.