Black EAMES HOUSE BIRD from Vitra and Limited Edition Architectural Review 1952 Cover Print

Eames House Bird by Vitra 

Alder wood, black lacquer finish  11" H 3.75" W 11” D

In original box, including Certificate of Authenticity and Hologram Seal from Vitra. 

Probably one of the most iconic and recognizable possesions that Charles and Ray Eames displayed in their home, yet it wasn't an Eames design!  

Charles and Ray Eames enriched the collage-like interior of their private home, the Eames House, with numerous objects and accessories that they brought back from their travels. For over fifty years, the figure of a wooden bird has stood in the centre of the living room – an artifact of American folk art that was evidently highly treasured by the couple, since it also appeared frequently as an accessory in photographs taken by Charles and Ray.

The story of the Eames House Bird is less a story of Charles and Ray Eames and more one of Charles and Edna Perdew. This husband and wife team from Henry, Illinois, passed on their gun repair business to their son in the 1930s and dedicated themselves to carving and painting bird decoys for hunters. A simple black bird Perdew carved around 1910 became a highly sought-after model by quite a different audience in the 1950s, primarily for its minimal shape and dark color. It was popularized by Charles and Ray Eames, who acquired one on their travels in the Appalachian mountains. The wooden bird became a center piece of the Eames living room and soon started to make an appearance in many of their product photo-shoots. It can even be seen in a 1952 cover of the Architectural Review, a solid shape among a grid created by Eames chairs.

Realizing the broad appeal of this simple decorative piece, Vitra started to reproduce them by creating 3D scans of the original. However, unlike Perdew's versions, which were mostly carved out of pine, the Vitra version is made of solid alder with a black lacquer finish and steel wire legs. Its reappearance has brought the little black bird back to many mid-century inspired homes, where it often perches on top of furniture, elegant and unobtrusive at the same time. 

The lucky winning bidder will also receive a special edition unframed print created and released by Architectural Review of their  June 1952 Issue #666 Cover Print of a cluster of black Eames Wire Chairs with the solid shape of the black Eames House bird perched between them.  Print was purchased by donor from the Architectural Review Store in London. 

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