Hans Wegner JH-505 Cow Horn Chair in Teak & Rosewood
View Similar Items
Hans Wegner JH-505 Cow Horn Chair in Teak & Rosewood
About the Item
- Creator:Johannes Hansen (Manufacturer),Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.75 in (73 cm)Width: 23.23 in (59 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1952
- Condition:Refinished. Rewoven.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1333233527022
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and other seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Hans Wegner’s best chair designs have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs — for example, the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat — bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room.
Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
Find vintage Hans Wegner lounge chairs, armchairs, daybeds and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Johannes Hansen
Danish master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen is best known for a celebrated partnership with legendary Scandinavian modernist designer Hans Wegner that lasted half a century. The sophisticated and sculptural chairs, tables and cabinets that Wegner designed and Hansen built earned Wegner worldwide acclaim, and brought meaningful business opportunities to Hansen and his modest workshop.
Hansen was born in 1886 and apprenticed as a cabinetmaker in his early years, opening a workshop and showroom in Copenhagen. In 1927, he helped establish the annual Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition. Later, at the age of 55, Hansen began working with Danish furniture designer Hans J. Wegner, then only 26. With Wegner creating and Hansen executing on his partner’s complex designs, they developed furniture to sell in Hansen's showroom. A business relationship of this type was common in 20th-century Danish furniture making, and Hansen and Wegner enjoyed a prolific and renowned collaboration.
Wegner’s career began in cabinetry before he transitioned to furniture design in the 1940s. He is among the most celebrated figures for collectors of mid-century modern and Scandinavian works of the era. One of the first well-known entries for the Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibitions authored by Wegner and built by Hansen was the 1942 Lattice chair, a red Cuban mahogany dining room chair with an upholstered leather seat. The Peacock chair, an iconic design that followed in 1947, was the pair's take on a traditional English Windsor chair. It featured flattened spindles along the back resembling the feathers of a peacock tail — it wasn’t exactly an emblem of the pared-back functionality prioritized by Kaare Klint, Wegner’s former instructor at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Wegner would go on to design nearly 500 chairs over the course of his life — among them are the Wishbone chair, the Papa Bear chair and the Round chair. The latter, which is often simply called “The Chair,” was manufactured by Hansen and made its debut at the Guild Exhibition in 1949. It was declared “the most beautiful chair in the world” by Interiors magazine a year later, and a pair of the iconic seats appeared on the first nationally televised presidential debate in the United States in 1960.
After Hansen died in 1961, his son, Poul Hansen, took over the business and continued working with Wegner. The company closed in the 1990s, but today, Hansen and Wegner's collaborative legacy endures in collections around the world.
Find vintage Johannes Hansen furniture on 1stDibs.
- Hans Wegner JH-505 Cow Horn Chair, OakBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in London, GBHans J. Wegner JH-505 cow horn chair, 1952 The JH-505 chair is one of Danish master Hans Wegner’s most collectable and sought after designs. It was a direct continuation of the...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak, Rattan, Rosewood
Price Upon Request - Hans Wegner JH-501 Chair, TeakBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in London, GBHans J. Wegner JH-501 "The Chair", 1949. Wegner's most iconic design. This example with teak frame and original woven rattan seat. Minor breaks in cane which do not affect use....Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRattan, Teak
- Hans Wegner JH-512 Oak Folding Chair, c. 1950sBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in London, GBOne of Danish master Hans J. Wegner's most important and iconic works. The model 512 chair was produced by master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen in Copenhagen during their golden period of collaboration that also produced the China chair, Wishbone chair and round chair in the 1950s. This example is made of oak, Wegner's favoured timber and has a beautiful, even patina. The original rattan cane is in excellent condition with minimal signs of wear. Literature: 'Danimarca', Domus, no. 259, June 1951, p. 29 Svend Erik Møller and Viggo Sten Møller...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Oak
- Hans Wegner Pair of JH-512 Oak Folding Chairs, 1949By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in London, GBHans Wegner JH-512 Folding Chairs, Oak One of Danish master Hans J. Wegner's most important and iconic works. The Model 512 chair was produced by ma...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Oak
$39,546 / set - Hans Wegner Rosewood Papa Bear Chair in Boucle FabricBy A.P. Stolen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBHans J. Wegner - AP-19 Papa Bear Chair, 1953 Vintage, original 1950s production of one of Danish master Hans Wegner's most iconic designs. The Papa Bear is rightly considered one ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wool, Rosewood
- Set of 8 Hans Wegner W2 Dining ChairsLocated in London, GBHans Wegner W2 Dining Chairs Set of 8 Model W2 dining chairs designed produced by C. M. Madsens in Denmark in 1953. Patinated, oiled ok frames w...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak, Leather
$17,249 / set
- 1960s JH-505 Teak Cow Horn Chair by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes HansenBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Sagaponack, NYA rare teak Danish modern dining chair with a splined backrest and a natural cane seat. Model JH-505 was designed in 1952 by Hans J. Wegner and produced i...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Hans Wegner Cow Horn Chair, model JH 505, Johannes Hansen, Denmark, 1950s-1960sBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBHans Wegner cow horn (Kohornstol) chairs model JH 505, made by Johannes Hansen, Denmark. Teak and rosewood inlay, with cane seat. Fast shipping worldwide...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- JH 505 - Set of 6 'Cow horn Chairs' in teak By Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Copenhagen, DKJH 505 - Set of 6 'Cow horn Chairs' in solid teak and patinated braided cane. Designed in 1952.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Hans Wegner Cow Horn ChairsBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSet of four Hans Wegner cow horn chairs with cane woven seats. Manufactured by Johannes Hansen.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
Price Upon Request - 4 Hans J. Wegner Cow Horn Chairs for Johannes Hansen in OakBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in San Diego, CASet of 4 Restored Oak Cow Horn chairs by Hans Wegner with new olive green leather seats. This set of Cow Horn Chairs are rarely seen and extraordinarily crafted with inlays of Braz...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Hans Wegner Cowhorn Armchairs Model JH-505 by Cabinetmaker Johannes HansenBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länVery rare set of 4 Cowhorn armchairs model JH-505 designed by Hans Wegner. Produced by cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen in Denmark.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.