Set of Eight Finn Juhl Egyptian Chairs
View Similar Items
Set of Eight Finn Juhl Egyptian Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Finn Juhl (Designer),Niels Vodder (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.25 in (89.54 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Depth: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1949
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84741717062
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.
- Set of Eight Hans Wagner "Round" Dining Chairs in TeakwoodBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Chicago, ILSet of Eight Hans Wagner "Round" Dining Chairs in Teakwood, by Johannes Hansen Denmark, 1950 Featuring a timeless and elegant combination of oiled teakwood and cain, the chair showca...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Reed and Delphine Krakoff Rkdk Dining Chairs, Set of EightBy Established & SonsLocated in Chicago, ILReed and Delphine Krakoff RKDK dining chairs, set of eight for Established & Sons/ London 2014 Wool felt upholstery over beech wood with some chairs ...Category
2010s English Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWool, Beech
- George Nakashima Chairs for Widdicomb Origins set of Twelve Dining ChairsBy George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Chicago, ILGeorge Nakashima Chairs for Widdicomb Origins set of Twelve Dining Chairs, consist of Two Arm Chairs model (206-W) Arm and Ten Side Chairs (model 206-W Side) 1959 Widdicomb-Mueller C...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Set of Four Richard Schultz 1966 Series Dining ChairsBy Knoll, Richard SchultzLocated in Chicago, ILRichard Schultz 1966 series Knoll. Set of four outdoor dining chairs Model No. 1966-46-H. Seat and back are woven vinyl coated polyester mesh with vinyl s...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel, Steel
- Set of Four Laverne Flower Dining or Occasional ChairsBy Erwine & Estelle LaverneLocated in Chicago, ILInvisible group flower occasional chairs, designed by Erwine & Estelle Laverne Signed with applied paper manufacturer's label to underside of two examples 'Laverne NYC'.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Edward Wormley Set of 12 Bracket Back Dining ChairsBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley set of 12 bracket back dining chairs. Newly upholstered with great plains woven textured wool cotton blend fabric with mahogany frames and b...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLacquer
$39,900 / set
- 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 - 1950's Finn Juhl ''SW 87'' Chairs SetBy Finn JuhlLocated in Madrid, ES4 "SW 87" Chair in teak and upholstery by Finn Juhl for Sören Willadesen. Sweden, 1950s. Perfect condition, refinished wood and new upholstery. Finn Juhl coined the term in th...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Teak
$9,006 / set - Dining Chairs by Finn Juhl for France & Søn, 1960s, Set of 4By Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Rovereta, SMSet of 4 Scandinavian chairs designed by Finn Juhl and produced by France and Son in Denmark in the 1960s. They feature solid teak structu...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Finn Juhl Lounge ChairBy Finn Juhl, Niels VodderLocated in New York, NYFinn Juhl model NV-45 lounge chair. Teak, fabric. This design first debuted at the 1945 Copenhagan Cabinetmaker's Guild Exhibition, which ran annually from 1927 to 1966. Finn Juhl a...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
$19,500 - Set Six Teak Finn Juhl Chairs Model 197 ScandinavianBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Lyon, FRSet of six dining chairs designed by Finn Juhl Chairs are marked with the France & Son's metal medallion as well as gilt stamped.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Finn Juhl Dining Table and ChairsBy Finn Juhl, Baker Furniture CompanyLocated 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