Axel Einar Hjorth
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a pair of stained pine "Sandhamn" lounge chairs, Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden 1929
Marked with maker's metal label, the cushions are probably upholstered with their original fabric. Height ca 88 cm, width 65 cm, seat height ca 50 cm.
Minor wear.
Provenance
Krister Littorin (1879-1939)
In 1929 Krister Littorin ordered a set of pine furniture from the "Sandhamn" series to his newly built hunting lodge on an island in the Stockholm archipelago. The set was comprising the limestone top table, a pair of lounge chairs, a dining table and four chairs (these were all ordered in 1929) and in 1931 the corner cabinet and the long bench, a special made to order, were added to the set.
The model "Sandhamn" was the first of the "Sportstuge series" that Hjorth designed. It was in 1929 and "Sandhamn" was a model actually executed by the Nordiska Kompaniet's carpentry in Nyköping.
The other models in the "Sportstuge series" were most likely executed by local carpenters after the drawings executed by Hjorth. The Sandhamn pieces are more exclusive, seen to details and craftmansship, compared to other models in the stained pine series. The Sandhamn pieces from the same estate in this sale are executed during the first years after designed, and the execution is made with a more refined effort, regarding the carved surfaces and finish.
The other models in the "Sportstuge series" were most likely executed by local carpenters after the drawings executed by Hjorth.
Krister Littorin was an engineer and he was the closest man to the finance magnate Ivar Kreuger, they were associated for a large number of years.
Littorin was the deputy managing director at "Tändsticksaktiebolaget" (Swedish Match) and the one who found Ivar Kreuger dead at the Paris hotel on the 12th of March 1932.
Littorin was considered to be co-responsible for the Kreuger crash in 1932 and he was sentenced to prison and a damages of SEK 200 million.
Subsequently Krister Littorin's substantial collection of antiques was sold at "Bukowskis Konsthandel" on September 7-9 1932
More information
These lounge chairs were executed the same year as when designed, in 1929.
Designer
Axel Einar Hjorth is considered one of Sweden's most significant furniture designers during the 1920s and 30s. Hjorth's early employers included Svenska Möbelfabrikerna in Bodafors and the Stockholm Crafts Association. The big breakthrough came as chief architect for Nordiska Kompaniet, a position he took up in 1927 and held until 1938. Hjorth's first major assignment was the Nordiska Kompaniet's lavish stand at the World Exhibition in Barcelona in 1929, to then participate in several major international exhibitions during the following decade. In 1929, Hjorth also breaks new ground and designs the first series of rustic furniture in stained pine, the so-called sports cabin furniture that was named "Lovö", "Utö" and "Sandhamn" after the islands in the Stockholm archipelago.
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