an important drop-leaf table, Nordiska Kompaniet, for the Stockholm Exhibition 1930.
Top veneered in sycamore on nickel-plated legs, adjustable in several positions, manufacturer's label A·B· NORDISKA KOMPANIET R 34700 C 22246. Diameter 70 cm, height 73 cm unfolded. Width 70 cm, depth 35 cm, height 75 cm folded. Total height when set up against a wall is 108 cm.
Wear and minor damage.
Architect Gunnar Asplund (1885-1940).
Thence by descent to his son, architect Hans Asplund (1921-1994).
Thence by descent to his son, diplomat and UN ambassador Bo Asplund (1950-2024).
Thence by descent to the present owner.
Stockholm Exhibition 1930, villa 42 designed by Carl Bergsten, living room.
Catalogue, "Stockholmsutställningen 1930 av konstindustri, konsthantverk och hemslöjd: Specialkatalog över bostadsavdelningen", Utställningsförlaget 1930, see floor plan with the table illustrated p. 143.
Depicted in a photograph from the exhibition in the archives of the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design.
Drawing number 34700 in NK's customer ledger in the archives of the Nordic Museum is recorded on 19 February 1930 with the client being the Stockholm Exhibition and the note "Zycomore m.fl. Ark Bergsten". The commission number 22246 suggests that it was the present table that was exhibited.
Carl Bergsten was an architect and designer whose significance for the development of modern architecture and furniture design in Sweden during the early 20th century cannot be overstated. Several of his commissions, such as the Industrial Exhibition in Norrköping in 1906 featuring the now iconic Café Chairs, the Swedish pavilion at the 1925 World's Fair in Paris, the interior design for MS Kungsholm in 1928, and contributions to the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930, have been crucial for the evolution of Swedish architecture and design. Bergsten's often luxurious and costly furniture and interiors have become trendsetting and pivotal for establishing the concept of Swedish Grace.
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