Armchair model 4488 designed by Kaare Klint for Rud. Rasmussen
Denmark, 1931

From a private Danish collection.

Exquisite woodwork and cane work make this piece by the Danish master Kaare Klint an exceptional twentieth century Scandinavian Bergere chair. The elegant brass sabots on the chair’s feet are very uncommon and allow us to date the chair precisely since Klint only used them for his very early versions.

Klint thought his friend’s eighteenth century chair from England, which he often sat in when visiting, was so perfectly proportioned and well-made that he redesigned it as a near copy in 1931. That is why model 4488 is often referred to as ' the 'English chair'. Klint was transparent about changing as little as possible from the original; the only thing he chose to change was the marquetry work. To make the chair less classical, he removed the excessive and elaborate marquetry because he thought it distracted from the chair’s design.

Kaare Klint was the father of Scandinavian modernism and is responsible
for bringing Danish design to the centre stage. History has rarely seen such an
impact left on the world of design by just one person, as Kaare Klint created a
design language that would be spoken by designers for decades to come. The
Danish golden age and Scandinavian modernism are periods that made Kaare
Klint’s name synonymous with icon.



Kaare Klint’s appreciation for clean lines, simple ornamentation and an
understanding of the human body translated into a design philosophy that has
truly influenced the designs of today. Kaare Klint crafted pieces that embodied
a perfect balance of form and function. This balance was achieved from his
education as an apprentice in his father’s architectural practice. This is
where he was educated in classic realism and ergonomics, this allowed him to
understand the proportions and requirements of furniture.

Kaare Klint’s training focused a great deal on classical design on a global
scale. Egyptian neoclassical design elements run through the veins of pieces. The pieces Kaare Klint crafted encapsulate technical
perfection, masked by a minimalist aesthetic. The joinery flawlessly fits
together, questioning whether the pieces were crafted from a single block of
wood. Kaare Klint’s legacy was imbued
in the physical, his architectural and furniture masterpieces and the
philosophical, as a lecturer Kaare Klint passed on his knowledge to students
that would continue to inspire pieces based on his design philosophy.

The earliest version has black ebony inlay (also currently in our collection); soon after, Klint adjusted the design to highlight walnut inlaid into the mahogany frame. For this iteration, he worked with the leading wooden furniture manufacturer of the time, Rud. Rasmussen in Copenhagen.

H: 88.5 cm / 2’ 11’’
W: 61.5 cm / 2’ 1/4’’
D: 69 cm / 2’ 3 1/4’’
SH: 32 cm / 12 1/2’’

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