I just came across a set of these chairs that look very much like Erik Buck model 49 chairs, except the curves in the back legs of the chair are slightly different from a model 49, which is more straight. Was this perhaps a different production of the model 49, or a copy? Any ideas?
Here's a link with more pictures:
They are similar but I don't know if I'd call them copies. The only other thread on here about Farso was two years ago started by @lexi with @herringbone contributing, discussing the chair shown below that is very similar to a design by Hans Olsen for Frem. So, maybe Farso was one of those companies that made slight variations on the designs of others.
@lexi This set listed on Selency.nl have Farso marks.
@mark737. Thanks ; I did eventually find a set with the Farso mark but forgot to update that thread with the info. My bad...
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The chairs in question are listed in the furniture index as designed by Poul Erik Jorgensen who was the owner of Farso at the time. Jorgensen was the son of the company's founder Vilhelm Jorgensen and took over the business in 1960, probably with new ideas. A Mobilia ad from 1966 is referenced in the index as a source for the attribution, so that appears to be at least likely.
As far as copys are concerned: Well - there were literally hundreds of chair factorys at the time in Denmark. Each and every one of them had to have their own range. In the 60s the sales went down and competition got harder. What did they do? Produce as cheaply as possible. Cheaper materials, simpler construction, "borrowed" designs.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
@lexi No worries, it's not like there's a huge demand here for Farso info. Though, coincidently, I ID'd these Farso chairs three weeks ago on another forum. That's when I first read your thread from 2019.
@Herringbone Thanks for that info. I had checked the Index and not found anything for P.E. Jorgensen or Farso. It looks like you have to use the Danish letters to get a result. I just noticed this note to the right of the search boxes.
If you are not quite sure how a word is spelled, place a ? before the word (if you are unsure of its beginning) or after it (if you are unsure of how it ends).
Placing a ? after Farso worked, but not after Jorgensen. Maybe because ø is the last letter in Farsø?
@mark737 Since I'm sitting on a computer right now I also don't have the Danish letters at hand. I just typed Farsoe and it worked. I guess that's the trick. ø is like ö in German, you couldn't replace an ö with just an o, it's a different vowel and shifts the meaning of words. But oe is a perfect replacement. I guess the index has been programmed that way. The questionmark is new to me.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
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