Abel Gonzales Safari Sling Chair — Mexican Mid-Century Leather

Mexican mid-century safari sling chair by Abel Gonzales, the Mexican maker recognized for sculptural wood-and-leather seating in the safari and campaign idiom. Ebonized turned-wood frame with thick full-grain saddle leather forming the seat, back, and two arm slings, joined by contrast white saddle stitching. Knock-down construction with no exposed hardware — the leather wraps themselves bind the cylindrical frame members together. Partial Abel Gonzales paper label present on the underside of the seat.

Gonzales's Mexican safari chairs paralleled the European Sirocco production of Arne Norell and trace the form back to Kaare Klint's 1933 Safari Chair archetype — honest materials, dismountable engineering, sculptural mid-century presence. A piece for collectors of Latin American modernism, design-forward interiors, or buyers willing to commission new stitching to return the leather joinery to original spec.

CONDITION Fair. Frame is structurally sound and the chair seats a full-size adult comfortably in its present state. All four leather panels (back, seat, two arms) are intact and supple. The leather joint wraps at the rear-back attachment points have been reinforced with brown packing tape pending proper restitching (visible in supplemental images). Surface scuffs, scratches, and old water staining across the leather; frame paint shows chipping and wear at the feet and rails.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 30" H × 25" W × 28" D
• Seat Height: 16"
• Frame: Ebonized turned wood, cylindrical members
• Sling Material: Full-grain saddle leather, contrast white saddle stitching
• Construction: Knock-down, no exposed hardware
• Maker: Abel Gonzales (partial paper label, underside of seat)
• Origin: Mexico, mid-20th century