Description
Hans Wegner JH505 “Cow Horn” chair in teak and rosewood for Johannes Hansen circa 1960s. This piece is freshly restored with new “Elegance” leather by Sørensen.
The Danish architect Hans J Wegner (1914 – 2007) was a versatile artist designing everything from furniture and lamps to silverware, but he’s without doubt best known for his many iconic chairs. In 1949 the armchair JH501, simply nicknamed “The Chair”, was exhibited at the annual Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild’s exhibition. It was an elegant and exclusive chair, but the bulky armrests made it unsuitable as a dining chair. To solve this problem Wegner developed the JH505 Cowhorn chair in 1952. The small size and short armrests made this chair neater and adapted to use at a dining table. The organically shaped backrest with integrated short armrests was created from two solid pieces of wood joined in the middle. Instead of hiding the joint Wegner decided to highlight it, making it a decorative element. This was achieved using wood of contrasting color.
The Cowhorn chair was exhibited together with a matching dining table in cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen’s stand at the Cabinetmaker’s Exhibition in 1952. It was a sculptural yet highly functional chair created to be durable as well as comfortable to sit in. Using the experiences from the Cowhorn chair Wegner came to design a long range of similar chairs during his long career, but the Cowhorn remains the true masterpiece among Wegner’s “horned” chairs.
Special thanks to Scandinaviandesign101 for the information regarding this chair.
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We’re passionate about high quality Scandinavian teak and rosewood furniture and lighting from the 1950s-1960s. We are located in the heart of downtown Victoria and are currently meeting customers by appointment only. If you’re searching for something specific, or have a special piece that you’d like to sell, we would love to hear from you. If you’d like something shipped we have extensive experience getting products to clients all over the world. Feel free to contact us for a quote, or any other questions you have. We purchase single items or entire estate