Item Description
Rare Scandinavian Modern oak lounge chair with tilt/swivel and five-star oak base, designed by Henry Schubell. Beautiful construction with dovetail joints. Original striped cotton fabric in nice vintage condition.
Henry Hans Schubell was born on February 23. 1906 in Elsinore, Denmark. After completing school, he became an apprentice cabinetmaker in Elsinore. After 5 years he finished his apprenticeship, and was awarded a medal for his work. When he turned 20, he moved to Copenhagen, where he worked for various cabinetmakers. In 1929, at the age of 23, he was employed as a foreman at the cabinetmakers “Winter & Winding, where he supervised the production of furniture until 1945.
In 1944, the firm received a request from an upholsterer named Arnold Madsen, who had designed the Clam Chair. Madsen was having difficulties finding a cabinet maker with the required skills to do the woodwork based on Madsen’s little plaster model. Henry Schubell succeeded in producing the wooden frame, making it possible for the chair to be put into production. Arnold Madsen was so impressed by his work that he suggested to form a partnership where Henry Schubell would design the furniture and produce the wooden frames, which Arnold Madsen would then upholster and market. The workshop was realised in the inner city of Copenhagen, and their joint venture was named “Madsen & Schubell”.
The company produced several successful models, most of which were designed by Henry Schubell. Some of these chairs were licensed to the Norwegian company Vik & Blindheim and to the Dutch company Bovenkamp.
The cooperation between the two ended in 1963, and by mutual agreement, Arnold Madsen established his new upholstery firm under the name “Madsen og Schubell”, in cooperation with his son, Ib Madsen.
