Provenance: Arne Jacobsen, then his 2nd wife Jonna Møller, then her grandson Thomas Dreyer, then his children.

Rud. Rasmussen paper label indistinctly numbered.

Literature: Carsten Thau & Kjeld Vindum: “Jacobsen”, ill. and mentioned p. 388.

In 1952, Arne Jacobsen was tasked with designing an interior for the Office of the American-Scandinavian Foundation in New York. The furniture was a gift from the shipbuilding company Burmeister & Wain, and the pieces were made by Rud. Rasmussen Cabinetmakers. Included in this interior was a desk basi- cally identical to the present desk, but with a different surface. The pieces never went into serial production, but with minor variations a few desks were made, apparently for friends or family of Arne Jacobsen. Archival material from Rud. Rasmussen Cabinetmakers shows that two variations were designed by Arne Jacobsen. One variant that had drawers with handles carved into the front, which was also the solution used for the desk that went to New York, as well as the solution for the 2–3 other examples of this rare desk that have resurfaced at different sales during the past 10–15 years. The other variant, which has only been seen here, has no handles on the drawers, and only a small keyhole on each. It is likely that this variant was a prototype that was kept by Arne Jacobsen for his personal use once he had settled on the other solution for the desk that went to the foundation in New York.