Extremely Rare Handmade Børge Mogensen Prototype Chair

View Similar Items

1949 Hunting Chair Borge Mogensen Erhard Rasmussen Labeled Leather Sling Lounge

Borge Mogensen Shell Chair

Børge Mogensen, Model 2254 Lounge Chair, 1956

Pair of Easy Chairs by Børge Mogensen

Spanish Chair Borge Mogensen Style Teak and Leather, circa 1960

Rare Børge Mogensen "Slædestolen" Easy Chairs, 1960

Børge Mogensen for Federicia Hunting Chair in Oak and Leather

Børge Mogensen Wingback Chair

Børge Mogensen Lounge Chair

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 10

Extremely Rare Handmade Børge Mogensen Prototype Chair

About the Item

Børge Mogensen for Erhard Rasmussen, prototype easy chair with patinated oak frame, Denmark, design circa 1950, produced 1951 This very rare iconic chair is designed by Børge Mogensen for Erhard Rasmussen and has the characteristics of many of Mogensen's later hunting chairs such as the solid wooden frame and the strapped leather. This model, being a prototype, is more robust and perhaps rough edged as the later versions of Mogensen's iconic 'Spanish Chair' that he designed in 1958. This early example has canvas straps for seat, back and armrests. The frame made out of patinated oak and comes with a loose original patinated cushion. This examples thus resembles other Hunting chairs by Mogensen, for instance look at the details where the leather is fastened with straps at the back and the low seat of the chairs. An example of this chair, may that be slightly varied and of a later date was presented in 1951 Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition. Difference where the wide top stretcher in the back and without the loose leather seat cushion that makes this early prototype so special. Børge Mogensen (1914-1972) was a Danish designer. His designs are defined by being high-quality, simple and functional. Mogensen can be seen as a democratic and idealistic designer. He aimed to solve basic problems in residential living. This meant that he designed for the middle-class and everyday use instead of for the more exclusive costumer. Contrary to his contemporaries in other countries such as Le Corbusier, Mogensen did not work with new modern materials such as steel and glass. Instead he chose to work with tested materials such as leather and wood. Being trained by Kaare Klint, he was very focused on the human body and his ideal was to create comfortable furniture, not furniture that would end up in a museum. His designs are therefore honest, functional, simple and production friendly. Mogensen was extremely productive: hundreds of his designs went into production in his lifetime. Provenance: Private Danish collection. - Literature: Grete Jalk [ed.]: “40 Years of Danish Furniture Design”, vol. 3, p. 189.

Creator:
Børge Mogensen (Designer),Erhard Rasmussen (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 30.71 in (78 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 13 in (33 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Canvas,Leather,Oak
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1951
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Please note that this chair is listed as excellent which includes the signs of time and age such as patina on the cognac leather cushion.
Seller Location:
Waalwijk, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU933111773731

Shop All Børge Mogensen

Børge Mogensen

Among the great mid-20th century Danish furniture designers, Børge Mogensen distinguished himself with his faith to traditional values of craftsmanship and honesty of materials.

While peers such as Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen designed some of the most striking and now iconic furnishings of the era, Mogensen focused on making pieces that were simple, durable and comfortable — and in the long run perhaps more useful and better loved.

Mogensen studied under and later worked for Kaare Klint, a master cabinetmaker whose chief tenets were quality of construction and simplicity of line. Klint was a classicist, who believed that furniture forms should evolve from those of historical models. So, too, in his way was Mogensen, as two of his best-known earlier pieces attest. His 1945 Spokeback Sofa, with hinged arms that can be lowered to facilitate lounging, is a reinterpretation of the venerable Knole settee. With the oval silhouette of its plywood backrest and waterdrop-shaped cutouts, Mogenson’s Shell chair, designed in 1949, can be seen as a novel take on early 19th century Empire side chairs.

Yet Mogensen shared the aesthetical sensibilities of his most forward-looking colleagues. His cabinets deploy the same spare geometries and lushly figured woods as those of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his disciple Florence Knoll, the chief difference being that Mies and Knoll used chrome steel for the frames and legs of their pieces. The brawny oak frames and slung leather seats and backrests of Mogensen’s Hunting chair (1950) and Spanish chair (1958) display the same hefty construction and appreciation of natural materials seen in the work of Charlotte Perriand and Sergio Rodrigues.

As you will see from the furnishings on 1stDibs, Børge Mogensen designed for function more than sculptural effect. While his chairs may not be the first pieces in a décor to draw the eye, they are often the first to draw in those looking for a comfortable seat.