The Egyptian Chair By Finn Juhl
View Similar Items
The Egyptian Chair By Finn Juhl
About the Item
- Creator:Finn Juhl (Designer),Niels Vodder (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Width: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Depth: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 55761stDibs: LU8903862293
Finn Juhl
Along with Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen and Børge Mogensen, Finn Juhl was one of the great masters of mid-20th-century Danish design. Juhl was the first among that group to have his work promoted overseas, bringing the character of the nation’s furnishings — and the inherent principles of grace, craftsmanship and utility on which they were based — to an international audience. A stylistic maverick, Juhl embraced expressive, free-flowing shapes in chair and sofa designs much earlier than his colleagues, yet even his quietest pieces incorporate supple, curving forms that are at once elegant and ergonomic.
As a young man, Juhl hoped to become an art historian, but his father steered him into a more practical course of study in architecture. He began designing furniture in the late 1930s, a discipline in which, despite his education, Juhl was self-taught, and quite proud of the fact. His earliest works, designed in the late 1930s, are perhaps his most idiosyncratic. The influence of contemporary art is clear in Juhl's 1939 Pelican chair: an almost Surrealist take on the classic wing chair. Critics reviled the piece, however; one said it looked like a "tired walrus." Juhl had tempered his creativity by 1945, when the Danish furniture-making firm Niels Vodder began to issue his designs. Yet his now-classic NV 45 armchair still demonstrates panache, with a seat that floats above the chair’s teak frame.
Juhl first exhibited his work in the United States in 1950, championed by Edgar Kaufmann Jr., an influential design critic and scion of America’s most prominent family of modern architecture and design patrons. (Kaufmann’s father commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s design of the house “Fallingwater.”) Juhl quickly won a following for such signature designs as the supremely comfortable Chieftan lounge chair, the biomorphic Baker sofa, and the Judas table, a piece ornamented with stylish inlaid silver plaquettes.
As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, Finn Juhl’s furniture — as well as his lighting, ceramics, tableware and accessories — has an air of relaxed sophistication and elegance that is unique in the realm of mid-20th-century design.
Niels Vodder
One of the greatest cabinetmakers in Denmark, Niels Vodder had an illustrious career in Danish furniture. And just as like-minded duos Kaare Klint and Rudolph Rasmussen or Hans Wegner and Johannes Hansen had, Vodder — in partnership with Finn Juhl for more than 20 years — set a high standard for Scandinavian modernism.
Vodder had already established his position as an in-demand cabinetmaker by the time Juhl came into his small workshop in 1937. Juhl — a pioneer of 20th-century Danish design and a pivotal figure in the introduction of Danish modern in the United States — had often authored technically complicated designs that other woodworkers found impossible to execute. Vodder, however, would prove otherwise through his skill and ingenuity. Together, the two ushered in an era of innovative Danish design to an international audience at annual Cabinetmakers’ Guild exhibitions in Copenhagen.
Some of Juhl’s most iconic lounge chairs, such as the NV 45 chair and the Chieftain chair, were first built by Vodder. Most of the seating executed by Vodder was done in teak, although some chairs were handcrafted in mahogany, rosewood and other attractive woods. The Chieftain, formally the FJ 49 A, won the Danish Design Award in the “Classic” category, while the NV 45 can be found in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Juhl’s FJ 51 chair was featured in the United Nations Trusteeship Council chamber — designing and furnishing the chamber was one of Juhl’s notable accomplishments in the early 1950s.
One of the keys to the pair’s success lay in the combination of Juhl’s self-taught approach and Vodder’s progressive outlook on his trade. The latter's workshop was modest in size and he was a pioneer with respect to the use of subcontractors in manufacturing, while Juhl had no formal training in furniture design. Juhl's early ambition was to pursue art history; instead, at his father’s request, he earned a degree in architecture. His studies and enthusiasm for art resulted in inspired pieces that were free from traditional norms, while Vodder possessed the technical prowess to refine and bring these ideas to fruition.
As Ejnar Pedersen — founder of P.P. Møbler — once said, “ (I)f we had no Niels Vodder, we would not have had the Finn Juhl we know today.” Vodder passed away in 1982.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Niels Vodder seating, tables and case pieces.
- Dining Chairs by Arne VodderBy Arne Vodder, France & DaverkosenLocated in Sagaponack, NYA dining chair having an exposed teak frame supporting wrapped molded seats and backs, the backs with a unique brass-hinged pivoting adjustment.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Upholstery
$2,100 / item - Oak and Papercord Chairs by Hans WegnerBy Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn oak side chair with papercord woven seat.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak, Papercord
$1,800 / item - Set of 10 Side Chairs by Niels MollerBy Niels Otto MøllerLocated in Sagaponack, NYA set of ten (10) teak ladder back dining chairs with papercord seats. *New seats included + lead time.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSeagrass, Teak
$32,000 / set - Set of Four Slender Chairs by Vestergaard JensenBy Helge Vestergaard-JensenLocated in Sagaponack, NYA beautiful set of four Scandinavian Modern dining chairs designed by Helge Vestergaard Jensen. Each chair is rosewood framed and upholstered in black wool. Made in Denmark, circa 19...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsRosewood, Wool
$32,000 / set - Set of Four '4' Minimalist Chairs by Jorgen HojBy Jorgen HojLocated in Sagaponack, NYA set of four (4) dining chairs with the original handstitched black leather upholstery seats that float on bent aluminum flat-bar legs.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$10,500 / set - Early PK1 Chair by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold ChristensenBy E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Sagaponack, NYA first-production example of the PK1 chair designed by Poul Kjaerholm. This chair features a refined and Minimalist frame of bent steel rods with seat and ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of 8 Finn Juhl Egyptian Teak Dining ChairsBy Niels Vodder, Finn JuhlLocated in Kensington, MD- Designed in 1949 for the Cabinetmakers Guild Exhibition in Copenhagen, this is one of the most iconic designs by Finn Juhl. - The teak has aged to a deep rich patina and is a strik...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Teak
$100,000 / set - Four Finn Juhl For France & Sons Dining ChairsBy Finn JuhlLocated in Pasadena, TXA set of four mid century modern dining chairs designed by Finn Juhl and made by France and Son. Model 197 with teak frames and upholstered seats and backs.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Fabric
$4,900 / set - Finn Juhl for Baker Furniture Teak and Cane Dining Chairs, Set of FourBy Finn Juhl, Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous set of four mid-century Danish Modern dining chairs By Finn Juhl for Baker Furniture India, 1950s Sculpted teak frames, with caned seats and backs. Measures: 2...Category
Vintage 1950s Indian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Finn Juhl Reading ChairBy Finn JuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAFinn Juhl "Bovirke" reading chair, 1950s.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Chairs
Price Upon Request - Finn Juhl Dining Table and ChairsBy Baker Furniture Company, Finn JuhlLocated in Highland, INThis exquisite dining set by Finn Juhl was designed in 1951 and is Classic Juhl. The sculptural frames of the model FJ 51 chairs support the curved seats and backs giving them the ap...Category
Vintage 1950s American Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
$12,500 / set - Finn Juhl 51 Chairs by Baker, 1952By Baker Furniture Company, Finn JuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CABeautiful Finn Juhl Model 51 chairs by Baker Furniture circa 1952 for the Baker Modern line. Priced per chair. One display in our Los Angeles showroom. UPDAT...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
$3,850 / item