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Dom Hans van der Laan Oak High Back Bench
$37,535.79
£27,931.77
€32,000
CA$51,289.85
A$57,820.96
CHF 30,646.89
MX$712,845.97
NOK 372,551.01
SEK 358,080.81
DKK 243,438.69
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About the Item
Unique High-Back Oak Bench by Dom Hans van der Laan
Commissioned for the Willibrordkerk (St. Willibrord’s Church), Almelo
The Netherlands, c. 1960s
This exceptional high-back bench, crafted from oak, is a rare example of furniture by Dom Hans van der Laan—a material he seldom used. Notably, this piece also omits the copper nails typically associated with his work, further underscoring its unique character.
Commissioned for the Willibrordkerk in Almelo, the bench was part of a comprehensive architectural and liturgical project guided by the principles of the Plastic Number, a proportional system developed by van der Laan. The church itself was designed by Jan de Jong, a close collaborator and fellow adherent of the Bossche School. Despite being considered one of the finest examples of Dutch modernist ecclesiastical architecture, the church was regrettably demolished in 2005 during a wave of church closures. Among the preserved elements were two monumental friezes by Igor Strawinsky (1907–1989), son of the composer Igor Stravinsky, who maintained a close friendship with van der Laan and shared his deep commitment to sacred art.
About Dom Hans van der Laan (1904–1991)
A Dutch Benedictine monk, architect, and founder of the Bossche School, Dom Hans van der Laan developed his radical architectural philosophy from within the monastery, largely untouched by prevailing trends in modern design. Rejecting the relevance of the golden ratio to architecture, he instead formulated the theory of the Plastic Number, a proportional system grounded in careful observation of natural rhythm, form, and scale.
His work, both in architecture and furniture, was driven by philosophical, theological, and technological inquiry, seeking to reconnect built forms to their primordial origins. Simplicity, for van der Laan, was not minimalism, but a profound statement of clarity, silence, and essence. His designs embody this ethos—stripped of ornament, governed by invisible numerical logic, and infused with a serene, sacred harmony. The numbers that shape his work leave no visual trace, yet they structure every element, creating an architecture where form becomes a vessel for meaning.
- Creator:Dom Hans van der Laan (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 45.08 in (114.5 cm)Width: 24.22 in (61.5 cm)Depth: 58.27 in (148 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Ghent, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU10230245503482
Dom Hans van der Laan
Dom Hans van der Laan was the ninth of the 11 recorded children of Leiden architect Leo van der Laan (1864–1942). Dom van der Laan began his studies in architecture at the Technische Universiteit Delft in 1923, two years after he finished his secondary school. Architectural education in those days was generally confined to nineteenth-century neoclassicism and all teachers originated from before the first world war. Students in their third year of study had to make their designs, but those of Hans van der Laan were all rejected. In the same autumn, he founded, together with some fellow-students, a study-group, the Bouwkundige Studiekring’BSK (‘Architectural Study Circle’), aiming to discover themselves the very basics of architecture, which they missed in regular teaching. On 26 May 1929, Hans van der Laan and his fellow-novice Herman Diepen made their profession in the abbey. In 1936 father Hans was charged with the guidance in the sacristy, which he would retain till his departure to Vaals in 1968. After the war, father van der Laan was invited by the bishop of Breda to take the guidance of a working party, charged with the rebuilding of the destroyed churches in the diocese. In 1951, the abbey of Sint-Benedictusberg in Vaals had been founded a second time by a group of monks of the Saint-Paul's abbey of Oosterhout and father Van der Laan was asked by them to design the still missing crypt and church. On 18 October 1968, father Van der Laan changed his domicile from Oosterhout to Vaals, where in 1970, he became an official member of the community of Sint-Benedictusberg. In his new home, he also was appointed as sacristan, so that he could continue his familiar daily work and in 1973 he was elected as a member of the Council, the board under the guidance of the abbot. Before his death, Van der Laan garnered worldwide acclaim for his comprehensive architectural theory, which has been translated into several languages and presents a doctrine of connections in the design of architectural space, notably the plastic number.
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