Vintage Hans Wegner for C.M. Madsens 'W2' Chair in Oak; Denmark, 1950s

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About the Item

A lovely example of the early work of the 20th century’s master of seating design, Hans J. Wegner. The sculpted oak backrest or top-rail employed here was developed as part of a family of innovative seating designs of the 1950s including Wegner’s famous round chair, his cow-horn chair, the heart chair, as well as his rarer roman and bull chairs. The inclination, placement, shape, and body contact of the top-rail was an area of constant research and experimentation during Wegner’s formative years as a designer. In an effort to produce the most ergonomically advanced seating in the world, Wegner was tireless in exploring new forms and systems of open-frame seating design. Having been trained as a cabinetmaker in his youth, and being an avid student of the history of design throughout his mature life, Wegner always prioritized strength and comfort in his chairs, this is one of the reasons that his work remains functional and collectable decades later.Creator: C.M. Madsen (Manufacturer),Hans J. Wegner (Designer)Dimensions: Height: 29.75 in (75.57 cm)Width: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)Style: Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: OakPlace of Origin: DenmarkPeriod: 1950-1959Date of Manufacture: circa 1955Condition: GoodWear consistent with age and use. gorgeous patina, structurally perfect.Seller Location: Brooklyn, NYReference Number: 1stDibs: LU81418551703Shop All Hans J. Wegner

Hans J. Wegner

Best known for his chairs and other 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 Hans Wegners best chair designs 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). Wegners comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.

Wegners 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 Wegners 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.

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