Original and Rare Børge Mogensen for Erhard Rasmussen Hunting Chair in Leather

Børge Mogensen for Erhard Rasmussen, original and rare ‘Hunting Chair’, cognac leather, solid oak, brass, Denmark, design 1950

At the 1950 Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition in Copenhagen, cabinetmaker Erhard Rasmussen presented a hunting lodge interior furnished with designs by Børge Mogensen. At the center stood Mogensen’s striking Hunting Chair: a low, robust easy chair distinguished by its V-shaped oak frame and stretched cognac full-grain leather. The frame’s extended seat rails descend to form the back legs, paired with protruding arms – a constructional method and sculptural expression also explored at the time by Mogensen’s contemporaries Hans J. Wegner and Finn Juhl.

While the Hunting Chair has been in continuous production by Fredericia since 1972, the present example is an exceptionally rare and early piece from the first series crafted by Erhard Rasmussen himself. Its seat and back are upholstered in full-grain leather executed by the Royal saddlers Brødrene F. & L. Dahlman’s Eft. of Copenhagen, who made the leatherwork for all twelve of Erhard Rasmussen’s original chairs.

These original examples stand apart in their meticulous attention to detail: the leather, tanned by the Danish Dominion Belting Company, was hand-carved and thinned along the edges, then folded so that only the smooth side remained visible, eliminating any rough cuts. The craftsmanship of the leatherwork executed by Dahlman is fully on par with Rasmussen’s cabinetry.

Dahlman’s workshop, located at Fortunstræde 5 in Copenhagen, was a frequent collaborator of Denmark’s leading architects and designers. Over the decades, Arne Jacobsen, Hans J. Wegner, and Børge Mogensen himself were among those who entrusted the firm with their projects. This chair is therefore not only a rare original edition of Mogensen’s iconic Hunting Chair but also a piece of Danish design history, uniting the artistry of two of the country’s most revered workshops.

Cabinetmaker's label attached to the frame: "Erhard Rasmussen Snedkermester Peder Skramsgade 8 Kobenhavn"

Biography

Børge Mogensen (1914-1972) was a Danish designer. His designs are defined by being high-quality, simple and functional. Mogensen can be seen as a democratic and idealistic designer. He aimed to solve basic problems in residential living. This meant that he designed for the middle-class and everyday use instead of for the more exclusive costumer. Contrary to his contemporaries in other countries such as Le Corbusier, Mogensen did not work with new modern materials such as steel and glass. Instead, he chose to work with tested materials such as leather and wood. Being trained by Kaare Klint, he was very focused on the human body and his ideal was to create comfortable furniture, not furniture that would end up in a museum. His designs are therefore honest, functional, simple and production friendly. Mogensen was extremely productive: hundreds of his designs went into production in his lifetime.