The Noguchi coffee table is one of the most knocked-off classic furniture pieces and one the most difficult to authenticate.
1. Label / paperwork / provenance: Herman Miller started to use labels on their production examples of these only after circa early 2000s. For pieces made in the last 20 years or so, the base should have a label with Herman Miller’s logo and Isamu Noguchi’s signature on it. On the glass top, the edge should be screen printed with Isamu Noguchi’s name. Vitra does this in a similar manner on the underside of the glass. Before the early 2000s, these pieces were not labelled or marked whatsoever. It thus takes great provenance or an expert eye to appropriately assess early examples made prior to this.
2. Exact dimensions and glass thickness: The form and shape of the tables was only made one way throughout production history. If the shape of the base looks any different or the glass has different dimensions, you should be very suspicious. The glass top should be 3/4 inch tempered glass.
3. Patina: The example shown in the video shows considerable wear. As a longtime vintage dealer, we’ve come to recognize natural signs of age and use. The patina on this piece, wear to the paint, and darkening to the wood indicates to us that it is indeed aligned with 70+ year old examples. It also has a green edge on the glass, which is associated with early production examples. Really precise replica’s did not become as popular or widely available until the last couple of decades (with globalization and technology playing a role).
Identifying an Original is a collaboration between Be Original Americas and Rarify.
