Egg Rocking Chair Model 267, Società Antonio Volpe, 1922

The Egg rocking chair, model 267, is a curved beechwood chair with Vienna straw seating, designed and produced by Società Anonima Antonio Volpe of Udine in 1922. For decades, the chair’s strong adherence to Austrian Secessionist style led scholars and collectors to attribute it to Joseph Hoffmann, the celebrated Vienna architect and designer. Research later revealed the work to be the product of the Udine firm itself.

The chair demonstrates the sophisticated design vocabulary that Società Antonio Volpe brought to furniture production during the 1920s. Its organic form and refined joinery reflect the international modernist impulses circulating through European design at the time. The combination of bent beachwood and traditional woven Vienna straw represents a marriage of industrial technique and craft tradition.

About Società Anonima Antonio Volpe

The Udine-based furniture company operated from 1883 to 1939, producing a range of seating and domestic furnishings. The firm’s output placed it within the broader context of early twentieth-century design innovation, when Italian manufacturers increasingly engaged with contemporary European artistic movements.

Details

Creator: Società Anonima Antonio Volpe, Udine
Year: 1922
Materials: Curved beechwood, Vienna straw seating
Model designation: No. 267
Type: Rocking chair
Production period: 1883–1939

Frequently asked questions

Why was this chair attributed to Joseph Hoffmann?

The design’s strong adherence to Austrian Secessionist aesthetics, including its organic curves and refined proportions, closely echoed Hoffmann’s work. Attribution was later corrected to Società Antonio Volpe through further research.

Where was the chair made?

The chair was produced by Società Anonima Antonio Volpe in Udine, Italy, a furniture manufacturer active between 1883 and 1939.

What materials were used?

The frame is curved beechwood, stained, with a seat woven from Vienna straw, a traditional material prized for its durability and comfort.