Rationalist/Haagse School armchair, designed by Dutch architect Hendrik Wouda for Pander, 1920s to 1930s. An almost identical chair is part of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum collection. See the last picture in the presentation. Sizes and description on the Museum website applies to this chair apart from the upholstery.
The piece is in very good condition and as well as being a statement piece, also suitable to use as an everyday chair. The seat is removable and has been reupholsered professionally in cream coloured fabric.
The chair has been cleaned and lightly waxed. Wood is in very good condition. This chair is very stable.
Hendrik Wouda (1885 - 1946) was a Dutch architect, interior designer and furniture designer. According to Wouda, house interior is an inseparable part of architecture. His furniture is characterized by cubist shapes and clean lines. Wouda designed 'strict' rationalistic furniture, always with a personal signature. The shape of the legs of the chair is one of them.
The style of this chair is called Haagse School, a famous dutch style that manisfested itself in The Hague during the Interbellum. It was meant to represent a luxurious and modern design style. It reflected the modernist architecture style of the time. Important influences for Wouda were the design ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as Berlage (who he worked for) and the ideas of avant-garde movement ''De Stijl''. All this resulted in modern commercial designs, targeting the upper class clientele.
Wouda was head of (modern) design at the famous furniture firm H. Pander en Zn. His students included Cor Alons and J. Brunott.
Biography
After training at the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam and the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague, Wouda worked from 1910 to 1912 at the Amsterdam office of architect H.P. Berlage, but he didn't enjoy it very much: "My ears were ringing with those heavy arguments and I was caught in obligatory principles" (freely translated).
From 1912 - 1914 he worked in Munich worked for the Pössenbacher Werkstätte for architect Eduard Pfeiffer. There he became acquainted with a much more luxurious and, above all, more commercial modernism than Berlage's strict, principled design.
In 1917 he started working for Pander
Creator
Hendrik Wouda for Pander & Sons
Design Period
1920s
Year
Around 1925
Production Period
1920 to 1930
Country of Manufacture
Netherlands
Identifying Marks
Yes, Pander - Wouda - this chair is also part of collection Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (see in last picture)
Style
Art Deco, Modernist, Vintage
Detailed Condition
Very Good — This vintage/antique piece is in near original condition. It may show small traces of age and wear. Reupholstered professionally.
