MCM-075 — Sori Yanagi for Tendo Mokko — "Butterfly Stool," 15" H × 17" W × 12" D, Tuckahoe NY Estate, c.1954

The Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi for Tendo Mokko — one of the most celebrated and widely recognized objects in the history of 20th-century design. Designed in 1954, the Butterfly Stool is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Louvre, Paris; and dozens of other institutions worldwide. It is, simply, one of the canonical objects of modern design.

Yanagi (1915–2011) was a pivotal figure in postwar Japanese design — a student of Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier who synthesized Western modernist methods with the formal sensibility of Japanese craft tradition. The Butterfly Stool emerged from the same molded plywood technology pioneered by Charles and Ray Eames, but arrives at a radically different conclusion: two identical molded plywood shells joined at the center by a single brass rod, forming a form that suggests flight, a butterfly's wings, or the traditional Japanese torii gate — depending on who you ask. The result is simultaneously functional furniture and pure sculpture.

Tendo Mokko, the Japanese manufacturer, has produced the stool continuously since 1954. Authentic examples are signed and labeled; check the underside on receipt for the Tendo Mokko mark and Yanagi signature, which confirm authenticity and inform pricing.

This example is offered in good condition from a Tuckahoe, NY estate — acquired through Clarke Auction Gallery, Larchmont NY.

Details

• Designer: Sori Yanagi (Japanese, 1915–2011)
• Manufacturer: Tendo Mokko, Japan
• Design date: 1954
• Materials: Molded plywood, brass rod
• Dimensions: 15" H × 17" W × 12" D
• Condition: Good
• Label: Check underside for Tendo Mokko mark on receipt

Provenance: Tuckahoe NY estate. Clarke Auction Gallery, Larchmont NY, April 2023.