The Cantilever Chair by Verner Panton 
Freischwinger Cantilever Chair „Cado 290“ 
Entwurf Design: Steen 0stergaard, Kopenhagen Copenhagen, 1966 
Ausführung Execution: Poul Cadovius, Dänemark Denmark, 1970; Glasfaser 
verstärktes Polyamid Fiberglass reinforced polyamide; MAK H 3801/2014 
Sessel Chair „Casalino“ 
Entwurf Design: Alexander Begge, Deutschland Germany, 1971 
Ausführung Execution: Casala, Lauenau, um ca. 1972; Leguval; 
Privatsammlung Private Collection, Wien Vienna 
In 1965, after long and laborious experiments 
with various materials, Verner Panton, in col- 
laboration with the Company August Sommer, 
was able to produce his S chair, which had 
been designed in the mid-1950s, using mold- 
ed plywood: As the first cantilever chair made 
from one single piece of material, it was includ- 
ed in Thonet’s product ränge in two slightly 
different variants (models 275 and 276), but 
was produced only in small numbers due to 
its complex fabrication process and high costs. 
In 1967, Panton finally succeeded in develop- 
ing a plastic cantilever chair to production ma- 
turity. The Danish designer had to adapt his 
design time and again to the then still very lim 
ited material-technological possibilities, before 
the Panton chair could go down in history as 
a design icon of the 20th Century. 1 In the mean- 
time, however, Steen 0stergaard had already 
succeeded in realizing a plastic cantilever chair 
with his ‘‘Cado 290” from 1966. The designs 
by the two Danish designers were to be influ- 
ential for many more plastic chairs which were 
produced around 1970, as is made clear with 
the cantilever chair which Alexander Begge 
produced for the Company Casala in 1971, 2 
1 Cf. Mathias Remmele, “Aus einem Guss: Die Geschichte des 
Panton-Stuhls,” in: Exhib. Cat. Weil am Rhein 2000: Verner Panton, 
74-99. 
2 Cf. Exhib. Cat. Vienna 2006: Frei Schwingen. 
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