Table
Manufactured by Government Workshops, Chandigarh
India, 1964
Solid teak

Measurements
244 × 122 × 73,5h cm
96 × 48 × 28,9h in

Provenance
Punjab University, Chandigarh, India
Private Collection

Details
Manufacturer’s Label

Literature
Seguin, L., & Seguin, P. (2014). Le Corbusier Pierre Jeanneret: Chandigarh, India. Paris: Galerie Patrick Seguin, pp. 224–229, 286.

About
The Library Table designed by Pierre Jeanneret formed part of the furniture program developed for educational and institutional buildings in Chandigarh. Created in the mid-1950s and produced during the following decade, the design reflects the disciplined clarity and structural rationality that define Jeanneret’s work for the city.
Constructed in solid teak, the table features a broad rectangular surface supported by a robust architectural base. The generous proportions were conceived to accommodate multiple users simultaneously, making the table particularly suited for library reading rooms and academic environments.
The use of teak—abundant in the region—allowed local craftsmen to produce durable furniture capable of withstanding heavy institutional use while maintaining the warmth and visual richness of natural wood. Inventory inscriptions from Punjab University confirm the table’s original institutional context within the Chandigarh project.
Today, library tables of this scale are among the most impressive surviving examples of Jeanneret’s furniture for educational buildings, reflecting the integration of architecture, design, and civic life that defined the Chandigarh experiment.

Biography
Pierre Jeanneret (1896–1967) was a Swiss architect and designer and a key collaborator of his cousin Le Corbusier. Working mainly in Paris during the early decades of his career, he co-founded an architectural studio with Le Corbusier in 1922, where they developed influential modernist ideas in architecture, urban planning, and furniture design, often collaborating with Charlotte Perriand.
Jeanneret played an important role in the development of modern furniture and architecture associated with their studio, contributing to projects presented at the Salon d'Automne and to many of the architectural works that defined the modern movement.
Later in his career he moved to India, where he worked closely with Le Corbusier on the planning and construction of Chandigarh. There he served as the city’s chief architect for several years, designing numerous public buildings, housing projects, and furniture pieces that became emblematic of the city’s modernist identity.