Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen Rare Large Dining or Conference Table in Mahogany

Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen, dining or conference table, mahogany, stainless steel, Denmark, 1960

An exceptional and rare design by Danish master Hans J. Wegner, executed by the esteemed cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen. A smaller version of this table was exhibited at the 1960 Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition. This larger variant is even more uncommon, further highlighting its rarity. Despite its size, the design communicates a kind of visual lightness. The table’s top is a broad, soft ellipse supported by gently tapered cylinders. Stainless steel brackets fasten the legs to the frame, showcasing Wegner’s fascination with how structure can be both honest and beautiful. The use of mahogany, a dense and richly toned wood, roots the table in a certain mid-century seriousness. Yet there is no heaviness; the shape remains open, breathable, rational. Executed with extraordinary attention to detail, the table reflects the hallmark quality of Johannes Hansen’s workshop.

Hans Wegner (1914-2007) is one of the most prolific furniture designers of the world. Wegner was born in 1914 in Denmark and began his apprenticeship with Danish master cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg when he was fourteen years old. Afterwards, he moved to Copenhagen and attended the School of Arts and Crafts between 1936 and 1938. In 1938, he was approached by the architects and designers Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller. It was also during this period that he started to collaborate with cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen. In 1943, he established his own studio, and he became one of the most renowned and creative Danish furniture designers. Wegner's furniture was designed with the greatest understanding of materials, construction techniques, and use. Wegner is known to have thorough understanding of the materials he worked with, yet his greatest aim was to create expressive and exciting design. Although Wegner was a functionalist, he was not a rational dogmatist such as Kaare Klint, of whom he was a student. Instead, his designs sparkle with inventiveness and sculptural sense. But this never meant that his organic and sensuous forms left the strict rules of functionalism. At heart, Wegner was an idealist. He was relentless in his quest for the best chair: 'there is never one damn thing that cannot be made better'. However, Wegner was aware that he could not create the 'perfect' chair, which gave him the freedom to produce as much as possible. He left behind more than 3500 drawings and about 500 of his designs went into production. His designs feature in the UN Building and Seagram Building in New York, UNESCO's headquarters. NATO's headquarters in Paris, and several buildings by the architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.