Maggiolina

Marco Zanuso conceived the Maggiolina in 1947 as a deliberate rupture with convention. Where traditional armchair construction relied on artisan frame-building, Zanuso proposed a system built for serial industrial production - a structural philosophy as considered as the form it produced.

The frame is tubular steel, available in polished, orange-painted, or black-painted finishes, or in natural or black nickel-satin. A pigmented cowhide sling defines the seat, holding the body with taut, sculptural precision. The back cushion is filled with new goose feathers; the seat cushion with polyurethane and DuPont Dacron - a combination that balances firm support with generous give.

Cushions may be covered in fabric, Ecofire, or leather. Armrests are finished in leather or Ecofire. The range of configurations allows the Maggiolina to read differently across contexts - spare and industrial with a polished steel frame and cowhide, or warmer and more upholstered with full leather coverage.

• Tubular steel frame: polished, orange-painted, black-painted, natural nickel-satin, or black nickel-satin
• Cowhide pigmentato 90 sling seat
• Back cushion: new goose feathers
• Seat cushion: polyurethane / DuPont Dacron
• Cushion covers and armrests: fabric, Ecofire, or leather

Zanuso's contribution to postwar Italian design was not purely aesthetic. His interest in new materials and industrial methods - evident in the Maggiolina and in his later collaborations with Richard Sapper - placed him at the intersection of design culture and manufacturing innovation.