Terms and conditions of use
Pair of Butterfly stools
(c. 1954)
Medium
Rosewood (Dalbergia sp.), brass
Measurements
(a) 39.8 × 41.7 × 31.8 cm (left Butterfly stool)
(b) 38.3 × 42.6 × 31.5 cm (right Butterfly stool)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Asian Art, 2021
Gallery location
Level 3, NGV International
About this work
Known for his simple yet beautiful designs grounded in traditional Japanese aesthetics, Sori Yanagi was a pioneer of Japan’s postwar modern design movement. His furniture and kitchen utensils remain popular functional items in Japanese homes to this day. The Butterfly stool is Yanagi’s most iconic and celebrated design, developed in collaboration with the furniture manufacturer Tendo Mokko. Each stool comprises two pieces of moulded rosewood plywood joined by a brass bar beneath the seat. The deceptively simple design takes on the appearance of a butterfly ready to take flight, while also being reminiscent of a Japanese torii gate that stands at the entrance of Shinto shrines.
