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Finn Juhl at Niels Vodder -1956  

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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 5660
11/12/2015 6:41 am  

I absolutely think Niels Vodders models PV55 and PV55A, the chairs in question right now, were designed by P. Vodder.
I mean, as far as documentation, the manufacturer's own catalog from the year after they were designed is about as good as it gets. If it is not to be given full credibility, then there is almost nothing credible.
If Wright had really wanted to do the right thing they would have taken down the Finn Juhl attribution (beyond taking down the authorship guarantee). The Danish furniture index is certainly not perfect, and the simple fact that they were "verified" as France and Søn made designs, but clearly aren't, makes it ckear there is a mistake somewhere in the representation of that verification. In other words, even with seeing the Niels Vodder catalog, Wright should have doubted the evidence to credit the chairs to Juhl.


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mgee76
(@mgee76)
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Joined: 10 years ago
Posts: 533
11/12/2015 8:54 pm  

I love this stuff. One question... This catalog shows the settee/sofa on p. 9 as FJ 53. Yet I see it in most other places as NV 53, which I am assuming comes simply from seeing the chair as NV 53. Should that be considered a mistake in the first place, or? I don't see that chair in this catalog. I really enjoy these designs, so rather curious... I think one of my first posts here was a picture of these, asking for an ID. Heh.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 5660
14/12/2015 4:30 pm  

I would think that the correct model number is FJ53.
It appears that Niels Vodder had a schema for his model numbers. Initials of the designer, followed by a 2 digit year of design, followed optionally by a lowercase letter to differentiate cases where multiple designs came out in the same year.


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NULL NULL
(@mullaccgmail-com)
Eminent Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 20
30/12/2015 8:40 pm  

this thread is so f'ing awesome.


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 2021
23/04/2016 1:53 am  

Just stumbled across a 2012 Bruun-Rasmussen lot for a 1959 version of this catalog, which the hammer dropped for . . . 670 Euros!
That's only 24 Euro per catalog page, although the blue cover background does grab my eye nicely. Note the address change with the stamp in the 1959 version.
Thanks again, leif.
http://www.bruun-rasmussen.dk/search.do?iid=300476252&q=poeten&lang=en&m...


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
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Posts: 2021
18/10/2016 10:04 pm  

For the third time in two years, this same set of P Vodder chairs has popped up for auction, again at Wright:
https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/48434047_finn-juhl-attribution-dini...
And for the third time, the auction house puts a Finn Juhl reference in the lot title to boost interest. The description this time is the best:
"This chair design is listed in the Danish Furniture Index, confirmed by the experts Hanne Wilhelm Hansen and Bard Henriksen, as a work by Finn Juhl manufactured by France & Sons. A 1956 catalog of Finn Juhl Furniture for Niels Vodder includes this work but lists the name P. Vodder as the designer.
This set of chairs was in the collection of John H. Howe, architect and chief draftsman for Frank Lloyd Wright. Signed with branded manufacturer's mark to frame of each example: [Niels Vodder Cabinetmaker Copenhagen Denmark]."
So, 1) a vintage catalog identifies them as designed by P Vodder, and made by Niels Vodder, and 2) they are marked as made by Niels Vodder, but 3) may yet still be designed by designed by Finn Juhl and made by France and Son, because an internet site says some experts said so.
Not sure why Wright continues to erode their earned credibility for this same set of chairs. This thread has to be one of the first hits in a P Vodder google search, so anyone doing their due diligence before bidding will know that Wright's continued Finn Juhl reference is more than suspect.
Although much like Waldo, I'm looking forward to the fourth time this set pops up at auction somewhere, probably listed by a buyer who bought the chairs first, then came across this thread second.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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Posts: 5660
19/10/2016 3:56 am  

Niels Vodder moved and expanded his shop in 1960, so this 1959 catalog is probably from just after the move. The move did not work out very well for him, as the anticipated increase in demand didn't happen.
It is quite amazing that Wright persists in trying to sell these chairs with that completely preposterous attribution and description. It also shows you that the DFI can be less the perfectly reliable. It is hard to imagine that Hanne Wilhelm Hansen verified these as Finn Juhl's designs, seeing as she was his wife. The DFI must have made a mistake there.


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
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Posts: 2021
03/11/2016 8:54 pm  

Lot just passed with a $7000 starting bid. I did catch the preview of this auction and took a close look at those chairs. The new leather upholstery is very nice. However, the teak frame profiles lack the organic refinement of most of Juhl's chairs, with a few members having a two-dimensional feel to them.
Until the next time they pop up . . .


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Herringbone
(@herringbone)
Illustrious Member Moderator
Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 1138
06/06/2019 9:40 pm  

 Stumbled over this great thread. Just wanted to add that according to Ejnar Pedersen‘s book the first name of Niels Vodder‘s son was Peter. Hence P Vodder was likely him. By the way - does anybody have access to the front page of the 1959 catalogue? I‘m looking for the address. 

"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)


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Herringbone
(@herringbone)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 1138
06/06/2019 10:13 pm  

And another thing I just found out  by random googeling: Knud must have been another son of Niels Vodder’s. There is an obituary online for Arkitekt Knud Vodder, 1927 - 2009. Niels Vodder was born in 1902. 

"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)


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