Bronze Coffee Table by Michel Mangematin – France, 1962

Rare bronze coffee table by Michel Mangematin and Roger Burny, France, 1962

• Original circular clear glass top with rare superficial scratches from use, edge without chips
• Bronze base in very fine condition, localized presence of slight verdigris traces on one unpolished extremity of the underside (see last photo)
• Glass top: 120 cm diameter
• Base: 117 cm x H 33 cm

Bronze Coffee Table by Michel Mangematin

Designed in 1962 by French architect Michel Mangematin, this coffee table is one of the very rare furniture designs developed by the designer during his career. Best known for his architectural work and his teaching activity in Clermont-Ferrand, Mangematin produced only a very limited number of furniture pieces, now particularly sought after.

Following a stay in the United States in 1957, Michel Mangematin studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, influences perceptible in the structural rigor and geometric balance of this coffee table. Certain parallels can also be drawn with the base of Mies van der Rohe’s celebrated Barcelona Chair.

This coffee table is part of the architectural research developed by Michel Mangematin in the early 1960s, particularly around the Château de Chazeron, a project undertaken alongside architect Roger Bruny. Several sources from this period mention the joint development of furniture in bronze, glass, and steel intended to complement their architectural research.

The sculptural bronze base develops an airy construction composed of crossed blades forming a highly architectural star-shaped structure. The contrast between the density of the patinated bronze and the lightness of the glass top contributes to the model’s visual identity.

Michel Mangematin pieces rarely appear on the market, as his furniture production remained extremely confidential.

• Antagonisms 2, THE OBJECT ” Museum of Decorative Arts. Palais du Louvre. Pavilion of Marsan. Paris 1962. P.86.
• “Plaisir de France” September 1970. The artist’s complete salon reproduced to illustrate an article on the development of the Château de Chazeron by Michel Mangematin and Roger Bruny
• Architectural Digest magazine, France, August – September, 2015,P.116.