Unique armchairs

Hitherto unknown model

Arne Jacobsen, the godfather of Danish design, is richly represented at Bruun Rasmussen’s International Auction with such furniture classics as Swan, Egg and Seagull. However, there is also an extremely rare, hitherto unknown model from the master’s own hand.

This is a pair of rare, unique armchairs in the original, patinated natural leather, originally made for the founders of Novo Nordisk, brothers Thorvald & Harald Pedersen, in 1935 – for their office at Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium. Despite the unknown design, these armchairs are nevertheless characteristic of the style cultivated by Arne Jacobsen in the mid-1930s, when he also designed his classic cane chair for the E.V.A. Nissen company (1936). The cane chair is better known as the Charlottenborg chair, having been displayed at the Charlottenborg “Spring Exhibition” in 1937.

A rare sofa group

Director L.P. Jørgensen, CFO at Novo and employed from 1934–1972, was permitted to take the chairs home from the office during refurbishment in the 1950s. His heirs have now brought these rare armchairs to auction.

The chairs were originally part of a sofa group comprising this unique pair of armchairs, a single armchair and a sofa. The three armchairs are in the international auction, while the sofa remains in the ownership of the family.

These absolutely unique armchairs can be regarded as a potent, voluminous precursor to the familiar cane chair from 1936. They also bear relation to another contemporary armchair designed by Arne Jacobsen for Landmandsbankens Sct. Jørgens branch in 1935.

Preview and auction

Arne Jacobsen’s sought-after furniture classics and the unique armchairs can be seen at Bruun Rasmussen’s preview at Bredgade from 26–31 May 2010 and will be in the auction on Wednesday 9 June from 5 pm.

Read more about the auction here

Bid live from your sofa here