Hans Wegner Jh-503 Chair, Oak c1950s
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Hans Wegner Jh-503 Chair, Oak c1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer),Johannes Hansen (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 24.41 in (62 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1949
- Condition:Refinished. Reupholstered. Restored to the highest standard by our in-house team.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1333228487102
Round Chair
In September of 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy sat down for the first nationally televised presidential debate, the two candidates rested on one of the most celebrated designs of the 20th century. Often called simply “The Chair,” the Round chair is one of hundreds designed by Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007). As he once said, “The good chair is a task one is never completely done with.”
Nicknamed the “Master of the Chair,” influential Danish designer Wegner inventively used natural materials in his work and, in particular, experimented with different types of wood instead of the industrial materials favored by 20th-century European modernism.
In his highly functional pieces with their timeless silhouettes, Wegner celebrated the textures of oak, walnut, birch and others while concealing joints inside the various pieces for a seamless frame. Sometimes described as “Organic Functionality,” his approach exemplified the aesthetics of Scandinavian modern design in its reduction of an object to its essential elements while using that sparsity to elevate its materials.
The son of a cobbler, Wegner later apprenticed to a master cabinetmaker and studied at the Technical University of Denmark and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (then the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts). He opened his furniture design firm in 1943 and throughout his career centered his practice on craftsmanship and constantly reimagined the shape of the utilitarian chair.
He debuted the Round chair in 1949, first showing it at the Annual Exhibition of the Cabinetmakers’ Guild in Copenhagen. Wegner called it simply “the round one.” A semicircle of wood is balanced on its tapered legs, with either a handwoven cane or leather seat stretched between them. Its open back offers comfort for movement, an alternative to traditional straight-back chairs; its finely turned arms provide support without intruding on the sitter’s space. Incorporating 11 pieces of wood and zigzag joints to offer the appearance of a continuous semicircle of wood from the arms to the back, the Round chair’s form is minimal but showcases expert carpentry. In 1950, Interiors magazine declared it “the most beautiful chair in the world.”
Wegner took incredible care with his designs, believing that a good piece of furniture should last a lifetime. Originally manufactured by Danish furniture maker Johannes Hansen, the Round chair is now produced by Danish joinery workshop PP Møbler, which has sought to guard Wegner’s design through meticulous craftsmanship so it can continue to be enjoyed for generations.
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and 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 Wegner’s best chair designs, seen in dealer listings below, 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.
- 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
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- 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
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- The Chair, Model JH503, Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen, 1950sBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Lejre, DKThis is a teak and leather chair designed by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen in the 1950s. The model JH 503 is known as "The Chair" or "The Round Chair" and is a collector's item ...Category
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- 5 Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen JH-503 Chairs in Teak and LeatherBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Los Angeles, CAWe are excited to offer 11 early Hans Wegner JH-503 chairs designed in 1949 and Produced by Johannes Hansen. Fully restored solid old growth teak construction. Stamped with the maker...Category
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