Designer: Richard Meier (born 1934)

Item: Pair of Ball Picture Frames

Manufactured by: Cleto Munari for Swid Powell

Country of origin: Italy

Year made: Ca. 1986

Materials: Silverplate over brass

Dimensions: Each are 6” x 6 ¼” x 2” with the glass in and the 5” x 5” x 2” without the glass in. The glass is 5” x 5”

Condition: Excellent.

References: Tapert, Annette, SWID POWELL: Objects by Architects, Rizzoli, 1990.

Description: Meier was prolific in his many designs of picture frames for Swid Powell. This model is from a series of frames he designed in which the picture is sandwiched between two pieces of glass that are bracketed with a ball on one end and either a column or a wall on the other. We have seen at least four different sizes, but the three larger ones use a column and this appears to be the smallest size. Each is marked with the standard Meier cypher and Swid Powell markings as shown, and the bottoms are also faintly marked in ink “Silver-plated Made in Italy”.