Rare rosewood desk designed by OLE WANSHER (1903-1985), made by A. J. IVERSEN
Denmark, 1950s
£2950
166cm wide X 84cm deep X 73cm high
- Seven drawers to front.
- Top drawers with locks, key present.
- Two cabinets to reserve of desk, and central drawer, all with locks.
- To front, pull out rosewood shelves above top drawers.
- Very good original condition. Desk has been fully cleaned and retains original finish to all surfaces
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Ole Wanscher
Born in Copenhagen in 1903, Danish architect-designer Ole Wanscher was a key player in Denmark's midcentury modern movement. In the postwar era, the simple and refined aesthetic he achieved by reinventing classic forms helped define Scandinavian design, and many of his pieces became staples in Scandinavian homes. Wanscher studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under famous architect-designer Kaare Klint (1888-1954), and, after Klint passed away, Wanscher was given Klint's professorship at the academy - a position he held until he retired in 1973. In 1927, Wanscher opened his own architecture firm, specializing in furniture design. Wanscher disagreed with the modernist full-sail rejection of the past and preferred to explore classic yet minimal aesthetics. Wanscher was also heavily influenced by Greek, Chinese, and Egyptian designs as well as proto-modernist movements, like the Viennese Secession, Biedermeier, and Shaker styles. Between the 1940s and 1960s, Wanscher enjoyed fruitful collaborations with small-scale, artisanal cabinetmakers, like the masterful A. J. Iversen (1888-1979), as well as well as larger-scale Danish companies, such as France & Søn, Fritz Hansen, Poul Jeppesen, and Rud Rasmussen.
