Sweden
1940s
Pine
23 1⁄2” wide x 33 1⁄2” deep x 29” high (seat height 16”)

Göran Malmvall was the youngest son of Karl Andersson, founder of the renowned Scandinavian furniture manufacturer, Karl Andersson & Sons. Malmvall studied under Carl Malmsten for a short time, but was largely self-taught. He was known for the subtlety of his designs and the boldness of his innovations. His highly collectible Svensk Fur (“Swedish Pine”) series has a Minimalist rusticity akin to Axel Einar Hjorth’s contemporaneous Sportstugemöbler furniture. Both designers were inspired by traditional Swedish carpentry, transforming the utilitarian provincial furniture into more refined profiles that appealed to a higher end customer.

We have a near pair of these Svensk Fur rocking chairs, one more darkly stained than the other. The Swedish pine is beautifully figured.