Hans J. Wegner, China Chair for Fritz Hansen

HANS J. WEGNER (Denmark, 1914 - 2007) for Fritz Hansen.
China Chair, model FH4283, design 1944.
Solid cherry. With loose reversible cushion, upholstered in natural leather.
Minor signs of use and patina due to age, cushion with marks and patina.
Made by Fritz Hansen in 2005 with label.
Measurements: 81 x 56 x 53 cm. Seat height: 42 cm.

The China Chair was designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1944. Inspired by the timeless aesthetics of ancient Chinese design from the 17th and 18th centuries, the China Chair embodies his lifelong quest to understand the nature of wood and explore its possibilities. In its modern interpretation, it displays his talent as a wood craftsman and his gifts for expressive and sculptural functionalism. The China Chair demonstrates Wegner's firm belief that furniture should be beautiful from every angle, as free-standing monuments to the inseparable relationship between handcrafted forms and noble, natural materials.

Hans J. Wegner was a leading figure in furniture design, whose ideas contributed to the international popularity of Danish design in the mid-20th century. His work belongs to the modern school, characterized by a special emphasis on functionality. He began his training at a very young age, as an apprentice to the cabinetmaker H. F. Stahlberg. He soon discovered a special taste for the use of wood, and his work in the cabinetmaker's workshop allowed him to experiment with different types and designs. At the age of seventeen he completed his apprenticeship, although he remained in the workshop for three more years, until he enlisted in the army. After military service, he entered a technical school, then the Danmarks Designskole, where he was taught by O. Mølgaard Nielsen, and the Copenhagen Academy of Architecture. In the Danish capital he came into contact with the Furniture Exhibitions of the Carpenters' Guild, where he began to show his creations in 1927. During these years, Wegner collaborated with master cabinetmakers such as J. Hansen, L. Pontoppidan, N. Vodder, J. Kjær, A. J. Iversen, Moos and R. Rasmussen, as well as with the most prominent Danish architects of the time, among them K. Klint, V. Lauritzen, and V. Lauritzen. Klint, V. Lauritzen O. Wanscher and M. Voltelen. The annual exhibitions would give the young cabinetmaker experience of what could be achieved with the combination of design and craftsmanship, which led him to devote himself fully to design. Already in his early pieces, Wegner showed his interest in the concept of "stripping antique chairs of their outer style and showing them in their pure structure." Throughout his career, the designer received awards such as the Lunning Prize in 1951, the Grand Prix de Milan at the Milan Triennale of the same year, the Prince Eugene Medal in Sweden and the Danish Eckersberg Medal. In 1959 he was appointed honorary royal designer for industry by the Royal Society of Arts in London. Today, his designs can be found in collections such as the MoMA in New York and Die Neue Samlung in Munich. Wegner has been called the "King of Chairs" for his prolific work in seating design. During his lifetime he designed more than 500 different chairs, of which more than 100 were mass-produced and many have become recognizable design icons.