Armchair model 4488 designed by Kaare Klint for Rud. Rasmussen,
Denmark, 1930s.
Mahogany, ebony, cane, and black horsehair upholstery with cognac leather piping. Klint thought his friend’s 18th-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.
This earliest version has black ebony inlay; soon after, Klint adjusted the design to highlight rosewood inlaid into the mahogany frame. For this iteration, he worked with the leading wooden furniture manufacturer of the time, Rud. Rasmussen in Copenhagen.
H: 95 cm / 3' 1 1/2’’
SH: 43 cm / 1' 5’’
W: 53 cm / 1' 8 2/3’’
D: 60 cm / 2'
Price: on application
