Nicholas Savard

Walnut Three-Drawer Chest Horizontal Ripple Front · Brass Hardware · USA

Few pieces of mid-century American furniture announce themselves as quietly and as completely as this walnut chest by Tommi Parzinger. The case is defined by its most singular feature: a façade of three horizontally rippled drawers, each front carved into a continuous wave of shallow, parallel ridges that catch the light in a slow, rolling rhythm. The effect is both architectural and sensuous — an exercise in controlled movement applied to an otherwise austere form.

The body is executed in richly figured walnut, lacquered to a deep, glassy finish that intensifies the wood's natural warmth. The case sits on slender tapered legs — a Parzinger hallmark — that lift the chest from the floor with characteristic elegance. Each drawer is fitted with a pair of polished brass pulls in a rounded rectangular form, their weight and sheen providing the only ornamental contrast against the monochromatic wood.

Broad enough to serve as a credenza or media console yet sufficiently refined for a bedroom or study, this chest functions equally well as a standalone statement or as part of a larger composition. The condition is outstanding throughout, with hardware retaining its original bright finish and the lacquer surface presenting without significant wear.

 

THE UNDULATING DRAWER FRONTS CREATE
SHIFTING SHADOWS AS LIGHT MOVES ACROSS THE SURFACE.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

"Parzinger's work occupies a unique position — too refined for the showroom, too modern for the salon."

Tommi Parzinger (1900–1981) was born in Munich and trained at the Kunstgewerbeschule before emigrating to the United States in 1932, eventually settling in New York. Working at first for Rena Rosenthal's studio on Fifth Avenue, he rapidly established a reputation as one of the most technically accomplished and aesthetically distinctive decorative designers working in America.

By the late 1940s, Parzinger operated his own atelier, producing furniture, lighting, and decorative objects on commission for some of the most discerning private clients and interior designers in the country. His furniture is immediately recognizable: impeccable proportions, tapered legs of almost impossible slenderness, and surfaces worked with carved, lacquered, or inlaid detail that elevate utilitarian forms into objects of sustained contemplation.

The ripple-front drawer treatment seen on this chest is among Parzinger's signature devices — a motif that appears across chests, commodes, and cabinets from the 1950s and early 1960s. The horizontal wave references classical fluting while subverting its vertical convention, producing an effect that is unmistakably mid-century yet entirely immune to period cliché.

Parzinger's work is today held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, and commands strong results at auction internationally.

SPECIFICATIONS

DESIGNER	Tommi Parzinger (1900–1981)
DESCRIPTION	Three-drawer chest with horizontal ripple drawer fronts, tapered legs, and original brass hardware
MATERIAL	Walnut, lacquered finish; polished brass pulls
ORIGIN	United States
CIRCA DATE	Mid 20th Century
DIMENSIONS	30" H × 46¾" W × 16¾" D
CONDITION	Excellent overall; lacquer and hardware in outstanding original condition
LIST PRICE	$22,000
ITEM NUMBER	279