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Nanna Ditzel desks,...
 

Nanna Ditzel desks, something does not look right.  

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My Panton Home
(@my-panton-home)
Prominent Member
Joined: 12 years ago
Posts: 193
29/05/2016 11:51 pm  

I just noticed these two Ditzel desks on Lauritz, and there is something about them that bugs me.
The rosewood one has a figuring that i have not seen on rosewood before,its to wild in a way so is it realy palisander?
Also the teak one somehow does not look right.
A friend that saw them live thought that they were brand spanking new, there was nothing that pointed
to that they were restored vintage ones.
Have anyone seen fake ones before or know if they were recently repoduced by a new company?
http://www.lauritz.com/sv/auktion/nanna-ditzel-fritstaaende-skrivebord-af-teaktrae-4-skuffer/i4282096/
http://www.lauritz.com/sv/auktion/nanna-ditzel-fritstaaende-skrivebord-af-teaktrae-4-skuffer/i4282096/#


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2050
30/05/2016 12:49 am  

Although I see what is bugging you appearance wise, I am not aware of any knockoffs of the Ditzel desk. There was at least one design change along the way for Soren Willadsen. The solid teak/rosewood drawer fronts with carved out pulls were replaced by veneered fronts with carved pulls inserted into the front. I have the latter. It would be very impressive for a knockoff to go solid front with dovetails. Even the secondary oak construction for the drawers looks right to me.
What caught my eye initially were the brass keyholes for both desks. I was initially not aware of any keyholes on Ditzel desk drawers, but a Google search did turn up a couple. I'm not sure if they were all after market, or if there was a custom order option from the factory.
My guess is that both desks have been completely refinished. While the keyhole face looks new, perhaps a closeup look at the top edge of the lock might indicate that it is an old lock that has been polished.
Also, both links sent me to the teak desk. Here is a link to the rosewood one:
http://www.lauritz.com/en/auction/nanna-ditzel-desk-palisander-three-dra...


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
30/05/2016 1:57 am  

It looks like they sanded through the veneer on the teak one. Right side of the desk, top corner. (Oh and there is a nick in the teak on the right above the keyhole).


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
30/05/2016 2:00 am  

Both of these desks looks like they have seen very little sunlight in their lives. I have seen a Møller table from 1963 that had never gotten sunlight on its top and it also looked strange compared to what we expect.


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Danish-homestore.com
(@danish-homestore-com)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 903
07/06/2016 4:25 pm  

smells like brand new to me.
challenge to auction house on this as I have seen them sell the Erik Buch OD61 barstool in there in walnut and they claimed them to be original and when I challenged them and said that it would be magic as the factory closed in mid 1980s they hastily retracted and said "produced under license in Denmark"
The brass keyhole cover is something that WOULD have changed with years of ageing and in all the desks i have ever sold (6) there has not been a keyhole or lock!
Go at them and let us all know what the outcome is.


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My Panton Home
(@my-panton-home)
Prominent Member
Joined: 12 years ago
Posts: 193
07/06/2016 11:55 pm  

Still not sure what they are.
Some valid points all along but i do not know these desks that good.
I am a big fan of them and have looked at many online, and some in real life, and these just struck me as something was not correct.
Especially the rosewood one looks plain wrong in the grain and figuring for 50´s/60´s rosewood.
But on the other hand, making one from scratch is not an easy thing and i doubt that its echonomically viable.
I have kind of given up on Laurtiz at this point, i see misattributions every day at their site and i am mostly looking at Panton things.
Did you hear that they are selling shares in the company now?
Imho its all a big scam since they have huge debt in the company and want to cash out while they can.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
08/06/2016 7:34 am  

In the case of Erik Buck/Buch bar stools it is a known fact that a company is making licensed new versions (and then there are knock offs too). I have not heard of any company making this desk, and I have a hard time believe both that this post would have been here bouncing around the top of the forum for a few weeks with nobody saying that ____ has acquired the license and is producing them. Secondarily, Brazilian rosewood can not just be acquired like that. Nor in the these quantities, and I am pretty sure that guitar makers will pay much, much more for any legal stashes of it than desk makers (less material, more finished product value). So it is really hard to see how the rosewood one could possibly be new production. (Unless it is some still legal species of rosewood that happens to really, really look like Brazilian rosewood in these specific pieces of wood; possible, but a bit contrived).
They are too perfect to be knock offs. If you are going to forge a desk this well, you are not going to accidentally add lock; that makes no sense. And the teak one actually does have damage.
By process of elimination, I don't see how they can be anything but old desks that haven't seen much sunlight. (Or perhaps the photos and lighting have been heavily contrived).
The question of the locks is interesting. I can imagine that it might have been an uncommonly seen factory option, or possibly they were both added by an owner. It is unusual to see really good work done by an owner, but certainly within possibility.


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ossrk79
(@ossrk79)
Trusted Member
Joined: 9 years ago
Posts: 53
08/06/2016 8:36 am  

These desks look fine. I restore hundreds of pieces a year and I don't see anything that makes me suspicious. No one is knocking these off lol.


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