Posted 3 years ago
philmac51
(210 items)
This is a very unusual CH25 chair. These are highly sought after and seriously expensive, especially in original vintage condition as this one is with an exceptional patina. I spotted it an auction here in the UK. It was listed as a cane chair, well why wouldn't it be. Well because, it's not.
The original CH25 was designed by Hans Wegner in 1949, exclusively for Carl Hansen & Søn and it has been in manufacture ever since. A new one will cost you just short of $4000 (£2800). The woven paper cord, a replacement for seagrass, which was in limited supply after World War II, had not been used in furniture before. So not Cane! And not JUST a chair!
Also, the auctioneer, did not know what he was selling, nor did the customer as it came from a house clearance - there is no Signature on this chair - which is extremely unusual, virtually all left their factory in Denmark, in the 60's with a 'Hot' branded stamp under one of the arms, with a two letter carpenter/date mark, later through the 70s and into the 90s with a label and a carpenter 2 letter mark and a date number ie. something like KL66. But this has nothing under the arms. Howver it does have a 22 stamped under the front stretcher.
Carl Hansen and Son, London, after reviewing about 10 images I sent them, came back to confirm that it was indeed a Hans Wegner original chair and dated to sometime in the 60s. They are also despite this at a loss to explain how it left the factory without a full 'signature', but accept that some must have got out without it.
This chair had, as far as I can tell so far, been in the original family's possession since new, but I'm still following up some leads on this. I'm also speaking with some experts in the fields of Hans Wegner furniture to assertain what, if anything the 22 stamp means.
So it's a very interesting piece, and possibly the only reason it hasn't reached the open market, before now, is because it lacked the signature. There will be more to this story....
Nice find. Interested to hear more..
Hi Phil,
What an amazing discovery for you! I love reading the story of your research into it's history - it is fascinating. I also want to thank you!! I am not much of a mid-century style person myself (more arts and crafts era) but my husband has more eclectic tastes, and I enjoy his pieces, too. After seeing your post, I remembered a chair in our office, which is a detached building we are currently using for storage. It was given to my husband as a house warming gift by his brother and sister-in-law in about 1997. I just went out to look at it, and it is, unbelievably, also a Hans Wegner! From what I have seen online, it is a folding model, Model 512 that was produced by Johannes Hansen in Copenhagen. I had NO idea about this, and want to thank you so much for opening my eyes to this! My husband is really excited, because he never really thought about the origins of the chair. My sister-in-law used to own an antiques store in Ohio, and it came from her shop. I need to do more research into it now. Anyway, thank you again - I am looking forward to hearing about the history of your chair in another post! :)
This is a photo of the same model chair as ours, in MoMA! https://www.moma.org/collection/works/196740
(Oops - ours is the woven cord material, not rattan as at MoMA) :)
Wow - rarer than my chair...! that's crazy Michelle - such a cool chair, I just live the notch in the stretcher on the 512, designed for hanging on the wall - so ingenious.... synchronicity at work here....
IMMACULATE !L! CONGRATULATIONS !I!
Thank you Phil - I didn't realize that was what the notch is for. I am so happy for you having found your special piece. It goes perfectly with your rug, and I love seeing your Christmas tree in your photos! :)
SO, further investigations and with information directly from Carl Hansen & Søn in Odense:
Only chairs exported to the US from Denmark between 1951 - 1961 were branded. This being a US Customs requirement. All chairs manufactured for the domestic and European markets remain unbranded until 1961, when all Carl Hansen & Søn furniture was branded thereafter. I suspect that this confirms this chair to be a 50s chair. In my estimation a quite early one too.
That is terrific news, Phil! Happy New Year!
and a Happy New Year to you too Michelle!!