Josef Frank
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a rattan chair model "B 1184", Firma Svenskt Tenn, probably 1950s.
With a loose cushion upholstered in the fabric "Compton" by Morris & Co. Height 80 cm, width 67 cm, seat height ca 45 cm.
Minor wear.
Provenance
A family of collectors who during the late 1940s and a bit into the 1950s made many orders, often specially commissioned, at Firma Svenskt Tenn.
Thence by descent to the current owner.
Literature
Kristina Wängberg-Eriksson, "Livsträd i krigens skugga (Tree of Life in the Shadow of Wars)", Signum 1994, model illustrated p. 216.
Marlene Ott-Wodni, "Josef Frank 1885-1967 Raumgestaltung und Möbeldesign", 2015, object no. 487, p. 341.
More information
The pattern "Compton" was designed as a wallpaper by J.H. Dearle in 1895 for Compton Hall in Wolverhampton.
Designer
Josef Frank was born in Austria and studied architecture in Vienna. As an architect, he worked with private home areas, villas and apartment buildings. In 1925 he started his own interior design firm Haus und Garten together with two architect colleagues. In connection with the advance of the Nazis, he emigrated to Sweden and was employed in 1934 at Svenskt Tenn. After the outbreak of World War II, Josef Frank, who came from a Jewish family, was forced into exile in New York. At Svenskt Tenn, he made an impact on the product range for four decades; especially when it comes to furniture and fabric prints.
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