Alf Sture
Alf Sture was born in Sarpsborg on 30 September 1915 and died in Oslo on 26 August 2000. He was a Norwegian interior architect and furniture designer. He entered the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in 1937. Recent specialist sources state that he completed his studies in 1940, while Norsk kunstnerleksikon gives 1942. The discrepancy should remain recorded as a source note.
From Hiorth og Østlyngen to his own studio
Sture joined Hiorth og Østlyngen as a cabinetmaker's apprentice and draughtsman in 1940 and later became chief draughtsman or chief designer. The updated Store norske leksikon says that he left in 1952, while Norsk biografisk leksikon gives 1950. It is certain that he worked there throughout the 1940s and established his own studio with Gunnvor Een Sture in 1952.
The 1036 armchair was designed in 1940 to 1941 and first made by Hiorth og Østlyngen. Its features include an angle in the rear uprights, a gently curved seat and a back and seat woven in paper cord. Early sources specify elm and paper. Later authorised production by Tonning og Stryn may use other woods and details. The design year therefore does not date a particular example.
Tradition, furniture ranges and interiors
Sture worked in both modernist and tradition-based idioms. Documented models include Empire, later named Desirée or Desiré, from 1946, Prestegårdsskapet from 1946, later developed as Prestegård or Christiania, Gubbebordet from 1951, Eidsvold from 1977 and Windsor variants from the 1970s. Materials and construction vary between production periods.
In 1960 he designed his first collection for Tonning Møbelfabrikk. From 1974 the factory produced most of his furniture, and later production is associated with Tonning og Stryn. Sture also undertook interior projects for Hotel Continental, the Norwegian Parliament, the Government Building and the Royal Yacht Norge. The yacht was a collective commission, so each item requires separate documentation.
Attribution requires the exact model
Patrice should not automatically be attributed to Alf Sture alone. Norsk biografisk leksikon credits Alf and Gunnvor Een Sture together, while more recent archive-based documentation associates the model with Gunnvor. Gripsholm includes several models and design phases, and sources divide responsibility differently between Alf and Gunnvor. An Interfurn catalogue also credits an Oldermann wing chair to Inger Hovind Eskild, although later development of Oldermann is also associated with Sture. Establish the model, manufacturer, catalogue reference and production period before naming the designer.
Materials, marks and dating
Documented works use woods including elm, oak, birch, mahogany, pine and teak, with weaving, veneer, polished or painted surfaces and upholstery. Materials must be identified on the actual object. Upholstery, weaving, paint and fittings may have been replaced. The open specialist sources do not document one universal Alf Sture signature or label.
Photograph the underside, back, cabinet interior, drawers and loose cushions. Transcribe labels, stamps, model numbers and handwriting exactly. A maker's mark normally identifies the manufacturer, not automatically the designer. Compare it with construction, dimensions and a dated catalogue or museum record. An absent mark does not rule out documented production, but increases the need for other evidence.
Condition and provenance
Record loose joints, cracks, veneer damage, renewed weaving, replacement upholstery or filling, later paint or lacquer and replaced parts. Claims of origin from Hotel Continental, the Royal Yacht or the Government High-Rise require an inventory number, disposal record or other traceable provenance. An oral account alone is insufficient.
Catalogue the design year, production year and production period as separate facts. A recent authorised Tonning or Tonning og Stryn edition was not manufactured in the model's design year. Visual resemblance alone is also insufficient to attribute an unmarked item to Sture.
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