A rare pair of tree-trunk tables made from mango wood, each standing on a tripod iron base. The tables were purchased in Chandigarh, India, and are very closely related in form to a table designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. They may either be early prototype examples of this design or pieces produced during the development of Chandigarh by somone wanting a piece in the style of LC / PJ to use at home.

The tables are particularly interesting as a pair. Although clearly made by the same hand, the construction of each table varies. One has a higher stretcher while the other has a lower stretcher, and the iron bases show other subtle differences. Some of the stretchers are constructed from two pieces of iron rather than a single length, while much of the welding is notably crude. To some, these characteristics might be viewed simply as imperfections in workmanship. For me, they are precisely what makes the tables interesting.

There are so many Chandigarh furniture reproductions and copies made with the intention of deceiving that authenticity can sometimes be difficult to assess. These tables do not feel like copies made to imitate known Pierre Jeanneret or Le Corbusier furniture. In fact, when I first saw them, my initial thoughts where these are not correct. Looking more closely, however, I became increasingly interested in their relationship to the Chandigarh furniture produced during the city's development.

I have seen and handled a considerable amount of original furniture by Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier. Pieces intended for important homes and government offices, particularly the earlier examples, were generally very well made. These tables are different. Their crude construction, variations between the two examples and relatively light-gauge ironwork suggest to me that they may have been made as experimental or prototype pieces rather than as finished furniture intended for an important building.
One possibility is that they were made for the residences of members of the architectural teams working in Chandigarh. During the development of the city, numerous experimental pieces and variations were produced, and furniture made for these residences did not necessarily receive the same level of refinement as pieces intended for important public buildings or prominent homes. The use of thinner-gauge metal on these tables is consistent with this possibility. Pierre Jeanneret famously had tree trunk coffee tables with loose brick bases.

There is, unfortunately, no provenance connecting the tables directly to the 1950s or to a particular building. I therefore would not describe them as definitively by Pierre Jeanneret or Le Corbusier. Rather, I believe they are important and highly unusual period Chandigarh pieces that appear to relate closely to their work and may represent an early experimental form or prototype.

The age of the tables is convincing. The iron has developed substantial rust, with areas where the original paint has deteriorated and corroded alongside the metal. The mango-wood tops and undersides have developed considerable depth of patina. In addition to the large natural cracks across the tops, there is extensive fine surface cracking visible upon close inspection. Together, these characteristics are consistent with considerable age and long-term use.

The light blue colour of the iron bases is also noteworthy. Blue tones were extensively used by both Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in Chandigarh, adding another interesting connection to the furniture produced during this period.

Ultimately, these tables are pieces that I have become increasingly fond of the more closely I have studied them. The more I looked, the more convincing they became, not necessarily as definitively attributed Le Corbusier or Pierre Jeanneret furniture, but as rare, characterful and genuinely interesting objects from the Chandigarh period.

I was initially very unsure about them and couldn’t decide if I should buy them. I now feel very reluctant to sell them.