This week instead of a “find” of the week, we have a “catch” because this Shell Chair by Hans J. Wegner is an absolute bargain. Featuring moulded teak back and seat on a beech frame, this design icon is open to bidding on Bruun Rasmussen until September 6 10:42 PM Copenhagen time, with an estimate of € 2,000-2,700. In the market, same example with same materials start from € 4,000 per unit and go up to € 5,500. The design is produced new as well, with oak and walnut but teak is really rare to come across.

Wegner designed the Shell range in 1948, consisting of this chair, a dining bench and a coffee table. Also called the “Venus”, the design hints at the mythological story of the Birth of Venus. Venus, or Aphrodite, the Greek/Roman goddess of Love, was conceived in and born from a scallop shell, which is evident in the shell-like structure of the back and the seat of the chair. The Venus serie is a testament to Wegner’s continual fascination with bent and moulded wood, creating a lean curving back and an effortless cantilevered the seat. Although this range is considered an experimental design from Wegner, it carries the signature attributes of him. The minimalistic touch, rigorous consideration for the human form and the functional poetics in the design are typical Wegner. The technique in bending the wood and fine joinery is brilliant.