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“Clam" Chairs in Sheepskin by Arnold Madsen for Madsen & Schubell, Denmark 1944

Name: “Clam" Chairs in Sheepskin by Arnold Madsen for Madsen & Schubell, Denmark 1944
Brand: Arnold Madsen
Rating: 5 (49 reviews)

$57,240per set

£42,962.05per set

€55,144.29per setVAT Included

CA$80,868.73per set

A$81,076.99per set

CHF 46,983.53per set

MX$990,697.05per set

NOK 544,472.30per set

SEK 555,997.46per set

DKK 374,716.39per set

About the Item

These “Clam” chairs have a beloved design, thanks to which it is considered by many as one of the most attractive chairs of Nordic Design. At the same time, these chairs are arguably also the most mysterious piece on the Danish furniture market. The model has a rather perplexing history, and has been attributed to several designers before, the latest being the Danish architect Phillip Arctander. However, recent research revealed that the “Clam” is the model that in fact started the story of Madsen & Schubell. Arnold Madsen designed this model in 1944 in his small basement workshop in Gothersgade, Copenhagen. This set has a characteristic organic shape with soft curves, perched on club-shaped beech legs. The name comes from the shape of the seat and back that together form the silhouette of an open clam. The round armrests compliment the overall round feel of the chairs. The seat is slightly raised towards the front, while the back is tilted to provide great sitting comfort. The seat and back are covered in light sheepskin, adding to the soft and cosy feel of this “Clam”. Interestingly, Hans Schubell invented the special connecting piece of this chair, formed from only one piece of wood. The rest of the seat and backrest were glued to this single piece. In 1944, the chair was already exhibited in conjunction with the presentation of the newly opened furniture store NY FORM A/S in Copenhagen, which sold the leading design of the day. In 1945, the Clam went into serial production as the first model of the new furniture company Madsen & Schubell and many well-known stores soon included Madsen & Schubell in their product range. Illums Bolighus was one of them, as were the Messen department store and the Copenhagen furniture store Nordisk Staal-og-Møbel Central. In 1953, Madsen & Schubell sold the licence of the chair to the Norwegian company Vik and Blindheim. Condition: In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The chairs have been recently reupholstered in light sheepskin. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information. Dimensions: 26.38 in W x 33.27 in D x 32.28 in H; Seat height 14.96 in; Arm height 22.64 in 67 cm W x 84.5 cm D x 82 cm H; Seat height 38 cm; Arm height 57.5 cm About the designer: 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 an idea for a chair. Madsen was having difficulties finding a cabinetmaker 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 forming 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 realized in the inner city of Copenhagen, and their joint venture was named “Madsen & Schubell”. The cooperation between Henry Schubell and Arnold Madsen was so successful that they purchased a factory building on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Over the next 20 years, 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. In the 1970s, Ib took over the company which still ran under the name Madsen & Schubell causing some confusion about the attribution of Madsen & Schubell models. ~H.

Creator:
Arnold Madsen (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 26.38 in (67 cm)Depth: 33.27 in (84.5 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Sheepskin,Wood
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
1944
Condition:
Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. The chairs have been recently reupholstered in light sheepskin. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information.
Seller Location:
Utrecht, NL
Reference Number:
Seller: 20221357, 202319951stDibs: LU2947338016532

Shop All Arnold Madsen

Arnold Madsen

A powerhouse duo in Danish furniture design throughout the mid-20th century, Henry Hans Schubell and Arnold Madsen collaborated as Madsen & Schubell with Dutch company Bovenkamp and Vik & Blindheim on a range of furnishings and created memorable lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating throughout the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s — such as the wingback Pragh chair and the iconic Clam chair — that represent the finest of Scandinavian modern design.

In 1944, a skilled upholster by the name of Arnold Madsen requested assistance from a cabinetmaker to make a prototype lounge chair based on a plaster model he’d made. Accepting the challenge, Schubell impressed Madsen to the point that he suggested they enter into a partnership. The Clam chair was their first collaboration as Madsen & Schubell.

According to Aaron FitzGerald, of Dagmar gallery, Madsen’s Clam chair is “one of the most sought-after and simultaneously misattributed and copied chair designs of the twentieth century.” In the past, it was ascribed to the Norwegian retailer Martin Olsen and then the Danish architect Philip Arctander. It was only through some dogged research by a team of international design historians and collectors that it was finally correctly associated with Madsen.

In the backyard of a modest home in Copenhagen, Schubell built wooden frames which Madsen then upholstered. They sold their finished products to dealers under their joint name, earning enough money to move production to a factory outside the city. Some models, such as the Clam, were under license by Norwegian company Vik & Blindheim while others were manufactured by Bovenkamp in the Netherlands. The pair’s partnership ended in 1963 in order for the designers to establish separate companies. Madsen opened a new upholstery firm with his son, Ib Madsen, under the name Madsen og Schubell, and Schubell continued to build frames for Madsen as Schubell & Son. (At some point, Ib also traded under the name Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell.)

Vintage Madsen & Schubell chairs offer sturdy build quality and the kind of superior upholstery that is typical among mid-century Scandinavian furniture. Working with a range of woods including teak, rosewood and birch, Madsen & Schubell accented natural wood grains with soft lambswool and sheepskin for a variety of comfortable seating.

Find vintage Arnold Madsen Clam chairs, lounge chairs and other seating on 1stDibs.

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“Clam” Chair by Arnold Madsen for Madsen & Schubell, Denmark, 1944

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Located in Utrecht, NL

This “Clam” chair has a beloved design thanks to which it is considered by many as one of the most attractive chairs of Nordic Design. At the same time, this chair is arguably also the most mysterious piece on the Danish furniture market. The model has a rather perplexing history, and has been attributed to several designers before, the latest being the Danish architect Phillip Arctander. However, recent research revealed that the “Clam” is the model that in fact started the story of Madsen & Schubell. Arnold Madsen designed this model in 1944 in his small basement workshop in Gothersgade, Copenhagen. This chair has a characteristic organic shape with soft curves, perched on club-shaped beech legs. The name comes from the shape of the seat and back that together form the silhouette of an open clam. The round armrests compliment the overall round feel of the chair. The seat is slightly raised towards the front, while the back is tilted to provide great sitting comfort. The seat and back are covered in light sheepskin, adding to the soft and cosy feel of this “Clam”. Interestingly, Hans Schubell invented the special connecting piece of this chair, formed from only one piece of wood. The rest of the seat and backrest were glued to this single piece. In 1944, the chair was already exhibited in conjunction with the presentation of the newly opened furniture store NY FORM A/S in Copenhagen, which sold the leading design of the day. In 1945, the Clam went into serial production as the first model of the new furniture company Madsen & Schubell and many well-known stores soon included Madsen & Schubell in their product range. Illums Bolighus was one of them, as were the Messen department store and the Copenhagen furniture store Nordisk Staal-og-Møbel Central. In 1953, Madsen & Schubell sold the licence of the chair to the Norwegian company Vik and Blindheim. Condition: In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The chair has been reupholstered recently in light sheepskin. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information. Dimensions: 26.38 in W x 33.27 in D x 32.28 in H; Seat height 14.96 in; Arm height 22.64 in 67 cm W x 84.5 cm D x 82 cm H; Seat height 38 cm; Arm height 57.5 cm About the designer: Henry Hans Schubell...

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