Lot: 806

Hans J. Wegner
Two 'JH-501' chairs, 1950 (design)

H. 76.5 x 63 x 52.5 cm.
Johannes Hansen, Copenhagen.
Oak, rattan weave.
Marked: Manufacturer's stamp and designer's monogram (branding).

The two chairs were professionally rewoven. Provenance: owned by a family in northern Germany since the 1960s. In American English, the chair is simply called 'The Chair' – as if there were no alternative, ever since it achieved worldwide fame in 1960 through the televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Kennedy sat on the JH501 model by furniture manufacturer Johannes Hansen, as he preferred a comfortable chair due to his back problems. Wegner himself was modest and referred to the piece of furniture, which to this day is considered one of the most famous pieces of Danish furniture, simply as 'the round chair' (den ronde stol).

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Estimate: 4,000 € - 4,500 €