Rare Version of "JH 503" the Chair by Hans J. Wegner
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Rare Version of "JH 503" the Chair by Hans J. Wegner
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 24.81 in (63 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Walnut,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Copenhagen, DK
- Reference Number:Seller: 10496851stDibs: LU1008423456122
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.
- JH 518 - Rare 'Bull Chair' by Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Copenhagen, DKJH 518 - Rare 'Bull Chair' in solid oak and with seat of new, braided cane. Original label from manufacturer. Designed in 1961. Hans J. Wegner / Johannes HansenCategory
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$14,062 / item - JH 517 - Buck Chair in patinated teak by Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Copenhagen, DKJH 517 - 'Buck Chair' in patinated teak and new textile from Kjellerup Væveri (COLOR 10-109) with manufacturer's label. Hans Wegner for master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen.Category
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- Pair of easy chairs model JH 703 by Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Copenhagen, DKPair of JH 703 easy chairs by Hans J. Wegner / Johannes Hansen.Category
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$11,731 / set - 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
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$3,600 / item - Pair Hans J. Wegner 'the Chair' JH503 for Johannes HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYStunning rare pair of Danish modern Teak chairs designed by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen circa 1954. The chairs are upholstered with ori...Category
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- Hans Wegner The Chair Walnut Model JH503 by Johannes Hansen 2 AvailableBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Miami, FL2 available, priced individually. A classic chair by Hans Wegner. Hans Wegner JH503, also known as "The Chair," is an iconic design by the Danish furniture designer Hans Wegner. T...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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- 8 Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen JH-503 Chairs in Walnut and LeatherBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Los Angeles, CAWe are excited to offer 8 early Hans Wegner JH-503 chairs designed in 1949 and Produced by Johannes Hansen. Fully restored solid Walnut construction. Stamped with the maker's mark. C...Category
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- 5 Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen JH-503 Chairs in Teak and LeatherBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated 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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