Silvio Coppola worked with Bernini on a series of dining furniture in which clear volumes and material contrast take precedence over applied detail. This set of four chairs corresponds with the documented Bernini model 620, recorded in Italy in 1964, and retains the combination of dark wood and black leather associated with that model.

Design

Each chair is built from a dark wooden frame with a black leather seat and back, and the contrast is handled in large, uninterrupted sections rather than small trim pieces. The seat is contained within broad rectangular rails, producing a low, weighty base, whereas the back rises as a single leather panel above it. That arrangement makes the upholstery read as two distinct fields: a horizontal padded surface at seat level and a taller vertical sheet behind, held in place by the frame rather than wrapped by it.

The most recognisable structural feature is the pair of rounded rear uprights that continue above the seat and stand to either side of the backrest. Their tops are softly domed, and their width gives them more visual presence than the front legs. From the front, these uprights act almost like short posts framing the leather back; from the rear, they continue down into the back legs, so the support for the backrest remains visible as part of the chair’s outline rather than being concealed within upholstery.

From the side, the chair is organised as a simple sequence of vertical and horizontal members, interrupted by the slight rearward rake of the back. The front legs are slimmer and straighter, meeting the seat rails with little interruption, whereas the rear support reads as a thicker element that rises past the seat line. This difference between front and rear gives the profile a forward plainness and a more emphatic back section. The seat itself appears almost level, which keeps the horizontal line of the rails clear when the chairs are seen in a row.

Close views show how restrained the detailing is. The front corners are softened by rounded terminations where the legs meet the seat frame, and the leather back has a broad, shallow curve across its upper edge with eased top corners rather than a sharp rectangle. That small amount of curvature alters the silhouette without breaking the chair’s compact geometry. The leather also sits slightly proud of the wooden elements in places, making the boundary between the padded surfaces and the timber easy to read. An original Bernini label remains attached beneath one seat, providing maker support within the set.

Seen together, the four chairs read as a compact repeated composition of dark leather panels held within a heavier wooden structure. Their character lies in that measured relationship between broad upholstered planes, rounded uprights and thick seat rails, which remains legible from the front, side and rear.

Condition

The chairs show visible age and use. The black leather has creasing, surface scratches and rub marks across the seats and backrests, and the wooden frames show scratches, small knocks and wear to the finish; an underside Bernini label is present, though no production date stamp is shown in the supplied photographs.