Nils "Miljonen" Carlsson's Chieftain Chair – 1960s
This is a lovely example of a 1960s Chieftain chair with original natural leather. (The listing says 1950s, but it has the hallmarks of a 1960s chair). The shape of the horns is slightly atypical as they appear slimmer and more elongated than other chairs. Not to focus on anything negative, but one must wonder if the cat chew on one of the horns reflects that the horns were sanded to hide other cat bites? Maybe, or perhaps not. Potential buyers may choose to investigate that further. Otherwise, a fine original example with all the hallmarks of a 60s chair. We like it.
1202107
Finn Juhl
(Denmark, 1912-1989)
A teak and natural brown leather "Chieftain Chair" by Niels Vodder, 1950's. (Actually 1960s)
Stamped NIELS VODDER CABINETMAKER COPENHAGEN DENMARK DESIGN FINN JUHL. Height 93 cm, width to the upper part 74 cm, width between armrests ca 102 cm, seat height ca 36 cm.
Wear, stains, the leather with minor repair, one of the three buttons to the backrest is missing.
Estimate:
600 000 - 800 000 SEK
56 926 - 75 901 EUR
Provenance
The artist Nils "Miljonen" Carlsson (1920-1996).
Related content
The name Chieftain is said to emanate from Juhl's intention to dedicate the armchair to King Fredrik IX. However, he later came to show the armchair together with African sculptures, thus referring to the African continent.
Finn Juhl is considered to be one of the most influential Danish designers in modern Danish furniture design. The Chieftain is one of Juhl's absolute masterpieces.
Juhl was strongly inspired by contemporary sculpture, e.g. Jean Arp, of whom he had works of his own at home. Juhl's organic designs often put to a test what was possible in terms of craftsmanship. It was through contact with the master cabinetmaker Niels Vodder that Juhl was given the opportunity to see his advanced ideas realized. Vodder thus got an important role early on in Juhl's career. Vodder's skills allowed Juhl to find the perfect balance between stability and graceful sculptural forms.
“Art has always been my biggest source of inspiration. I'm fascinated by shapes that defy gravity and create visual ease. " - Finn Juhl also wanted to create a visual difference between the structural maintaining elements and the surface that carried the seated - he wanted the seated person to appear as hovering above the chair's frames. The Chieftain Chair was one of the first furniture to which these principles were applied. Despite its advanced form, Juhl is said to have produced the sketch for the first Chieftain quite fast. Finn Juhl presented the armchair in 1949 at Snedkerlauget's annual exhibition in Copenhagen. The model has since been slightly modified in different details during the following years after the first chairs were shown.
In 2012, the Chieftain was rewarded with the Danish Design Award Classic with the motivation that it today stands as an inspiration to a new generation of designers. By attaching great importance to quality and craftsmanship and breaking from traditions one can make a difference as a designer.
