Mandarin armchair designed by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll International in 1986, a distinctive example of the Italian designer's postmodern furniture of the 1980s.

This version combines a blue fabric upholstered seat and backrest with a black metal structure. The design is defined by two large curved tubular arms forming a continuous line around either side of the chair. Their sculptural profile contrasts with the deliberately simple geometry of the seat, rectangular backrest and four straight legs.

Designed a few years after the foundation of the Memphis group, the Mandarin belongs to a period in which Sottsass continued his exploration of color, geometry and the reinterpretation of traditional furniture typologies. Knoll notably relates the distinctive curved arms to the forms of Thonet bentwood furniture.

Seat height : 17,7 in'.

Manufacturer: Knoll International, 1986.

• Height 82 cm / 32 "
• Width 66 cm / 26 "
• Depth 52 cm / 20 "
• Weight 12.5 kg