American Studio Craft Library Ladder by Alan Lazarus

An American Studio Craft movement freestanding library step ladder, designed and built by Wendell Castle protégé and master woodworker Alan Lazarus, executed in hand-carved solid oak with through-tenon joinery, convex-bowed front rails, and treads sculpted with a deeply concave profile at their lateral edges.

Its three-step configuration contrasts an economy of form with conspicuously tall uprights, creating sculptural tension in an object that, in pure Castle fashion, blurs distinction between utility and art. A functional statement piece for a library, modern chef’s kitchen, walk-in wardrobe, or gallery setting. Signed with the artist’s initials and dated 1971. An early example of Lazarus’ designs which rarely come to market.

Alan Lazarus (b. 1940) earned his master’s degree in woodworking and furniture design from the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, where he was mentored by Wendell Castle and Bill Keyser. Reflecting on those important early years, he says, “Everyone was learning together. It was like a playground. [Wendell’s] work had so much freedom to it. He was fun to study with.”

In the late 1960s, he moved to Virginia, where he founded the woodworking department at Richmond Professional Institute (which later became Virginia Commonwealth University). It was here that Lazarus would pass the torch and train the next generation of studio craftsmen, counting Sam Forrest among his students. This exceptional lineage positions Lazarus’ works as critical contributions to the American Studio Craft movement.

In the mid-1970s, he relocated again to New Jersey, where he would go on to teach at William Paterson University for several decades before retiring to Maryland. At age 86, Lazarus is now mulling a return to active studio practice, driven by the same affinity for craft as when he built his own toys as a child:

“I enjoy problem solving. And I enjoy the texture of things. Making a piece of furniture is like cooking; I enjoy them the same way. Going into a woodshop is no different from going into a kitchen.”

64 h x 19 w x 17 d

Condition: good, age appropriate wear

$8,000