Ole Gjerløv-Knudsen

executed by Willy Hendriksen, Brdr. F. & L. Dahlman Eft.
stitched leather, with internal steel frame

Grete Jalk, ed., 40 years of Danish Furniture Design, vol. 4: 1957-1966, Copenhagen, pp. 88-89

Overall very good condition consistent with age. Light general wear to the leather, but it retains a beautiful patina throughout. The front left proper arm with a small loss/scuff to original leather and is visible in the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Prior to the 1959 Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition, Gjerløv-Knudsen approached saddlemaker Willy Hendriksen at Brdr. F.&L. Dahlman Edf. to produce a self supporting low chair.  The chair, with a back elegantly supported by a single metal rail, required a strong leather to maintain the structure.  Hendriksen located speciality leather in Switzerland and his team worked around the clock to complete the chair in time for the exhibition.  The hand-sewn construction was extremely labour intensive due to the nature of the leather, one worker noted, 'we lay on the floor and inside the chair to make many meters [of] free hand sewing, and [were] barely able to walk or stand, sore hands, wrists, arms and shoulders when it was finished the night before the show'.  Dahlman's maintains that 'it has probably been one of the most expensive and hardest chairs produced in Denmark'.

Due to the labour-intensive nature of the chair's construction, it is believed that only two examples exist, one of which was gifted to Willy Hendriksen.

This model was first exhibited at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition, 1959 and is referenced in the Design Museum Danmark Furniture Index under PR03818.