Pair of armchairs by Alf Svensson, Fritz Hansen Denmark, ca. 1962
View Similar Items
Pair of armchairs by Alf Svensson, Fritz Hansen Denmark, ca. 1962
About the Item
- Creator:Alf Svensson (Designer),Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 43.31 in (110 cm)Width: 28.75 in (73 cm)Depth: 29.09 in (73.88 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:ca. 1962
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9831839997
Fritz Hansen
When the Copenhagen-based furniture maker Fritz Hansen opened for business more than 140 years ago, the company — which today styles itself The Republic of Fritz Hansen — adhered to the traditional, time-honored Danish values of craftsmanship in woodworking and joinery. Yet thanks to the postwar innovations of Arne Jacobsen and others, Fritz Hansen would become the country’s leader in Scandinavian modern design using new, forward-looking materials and methods.
Fritz Hansen started his company in 1872, specializing in the manufacture of small furniture parts. In 1915, the firm became the first in Denmark to make chairs using steam-bent wood (a technique most familiar from birch used in the ubiquitous café chairs by Austrian maker Thonet). At the time, Fritz Hansen was best known for seating that featured curved legs and curlicue splats and referenced 18th-century Chippendale designs.
In the next few decades, the company promoted simple, plain chairs with slatted backs and cane or rush seats designed by such proto-modernist masters as Kaare Klint and Søren Hansen. Still, the most aesthetically striking piece Fritz Hansen produced in the first half of the 20th century was arguably the China chair of 1944 by Hans Wegner — and that piece, with its yoke-shaped bentwood back- and armrest, was based on seating manufactured in China during the Ming dynasty. (Wegner was moved by portraits he’d seen of Danish merchants in the Chinese chairs.)
Everything changed in 1952 with Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair. The collaboration between the architect and Fritz Hansen officially originated in 1934 — that year, Jacobsen created his inaugural piece for the manufacturer, the solid beechwood Bellevue chair for a restaurant commission. The Ant chair, however, was the breakthrough.
With assistance from his then-apprentice Verner Panton, Jacobsen designed the Ant chair for the cafeteria of a Danish healthcare company called Novo Nordisk. The chair was composed of a seat and backrest formed from a single piece of molded plywood attached, in its original iteration, to three tubular metal legs. Its silhouette suggests the shape of the insect’s body, and the lightweight, stackable chair and its biomorphic form became an international hit.
Jacobsen followed with more plywood successes, such as the Grand Prix chair of 1957. The following year he designed the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen and its furnishings, including the Egg chair and the Swan chair. Those two upholstered pieces, with their lush, organic frames made of fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, have become the two chairs most emblematic of mid-20th-century cool. Moreover, the Egg and Swan led Fritz Hansen to fully embrace new man-made materials, like foam, plastic and steel wire used to realize the avant-garde creations of later generations of designers with whom the firm collaborated, such as Piet Hein, Jørn Utzon (the architect of the Sydney Opera House) and Verner Panton. If the Fritz Hansen of 1872 would not now recognize his company, today’s connoisseurs certainly do.
Find a collection of vintage Fritz Hansen tables, lounge chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Chair 'PK 9' by Poul Kjaerholm, Fritz Hansen, Steel, Leather, 1960By Poul Kjærholm, Fritz HansenLocated in Berlin, DEThis chair is a real Classic midcentury design by Poul Kjaerholm. It's construction is made of spring steel, the seating is covered with burgundy red leather. Labeled Fritz Hansen. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of velvet Easy Chairs by Cesare Lacca, circa 1950By Cesare LaccaLocated in Berlin, DEA pair of very rare easy chairs. Raspberry velvet cover, fringes, in original condition. Front legs are made of brass, back legs are made of walnut wood.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Bowl by Enzo Mari, 1962By Danese Milano, Enzo MariLocated in Berlin, DEBowl with two flexible wings, Aluminum, partly lacquered. Dimensions / H.23cm o 31cm Designer / Enzo Mari 1962 Manufacturer / Danese Milano With stamp on bottom.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsAluminum
$4,927 - Delfino Lounge Chair with Ottoman, 1950s Blue Velvet, by Erberto Carboni, ArflexBy Erberto Carboni, ArflexLocated in Berlin, DEIconic original "Delfino" lounge chair with matching Ottoman, designed in 1954 by Italian artist, sculptor and designer Erberto Carboni (1899-1984) for Arflex, Italy. Prefabricated u...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet
- Pair of Rare Dark Blue Metal Armchairs "Didone", by Giulietto Cacciari, GavinaBy Simon Gavina EditionsLocated in Berlin, DEA pair of rare armchairs, model "Didone" designed by Giulietto Cacciari, 1972-1972, manufactured by Simon Gavina, Bologna Italy. Dark blue lacquered curved metal with original light...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Brown Suede Armchairs, Guglielmo Ulrich, 1936By Guglielmo UlrichLocated in Berlin, DEThese rare armchairs by Guglielmo Ulrich have a solid and intimate feel. Covered with a brown suede, possibly reupholstered some time ago. Feet made of walnut. Guglielmo Ulrich wa...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSuede, Walnut
- Easy Chair Designed by Alf Svensson and Manufactured by Fritz Hansen, 1960sBy Alf Svensson, Fritz HansenLocated in Lejre, DKEasy chair designed by Alf Svensson and manufactured by Fritz Hansen in the 1960s. The chair is of teak and upholstered with green fabric.Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool, Teak
$1,019 Sale Price20% Off - Mid Century Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Alf Svensson for Fritz Hansen c. 1960'sBy Alf Svensson, Fritz HansenLocated in New York, NYChic architectural Mid Century lounge chair and ottoman designed by Alf Svensson for Fritz Hansen, made in Denmark circa 1960's. This example is in very good, clean, ready to use co...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Stylish Danish Modern Alf Svensson for Fritz Hansen Two-Position Reclining ChairBy Alf SvenssonLocated in San Francisco, CAA stylish Danish modern Alf Svensson for Fritz Hansen 1960s stained teak two-position reclining lounge chair; this hip and very comfortable high back leather-upholstered chair with p...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
- Pair of Leather Lounge Chairs by Alf SvenssonBy Alf Svensson, BergbomsLocated in Stockholm, SEPair of lounge chairs by Alf Svensson for Ljungs industries, later known as DUX, made in the 1950s. Black lacquered steel frames with removable cushions upholstered in luxurious cogn...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$8,457 / set - Mid-Century Domus Armchairs by Alf Svensson for DuxBy Alf Svensson, Dux of SwedenLocated in Madrid, ESThree 'Domus' armchairs in teak and upholstery designed by Alf Svensson, Sweden, 1960s. These armchairs were conceived in a pure Mid-century style. The simple lines that make up th...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak
$2,141 / item - Pair of lounge chairs by Alf Svensson for Dux, SwedenBy Alf Svensson, Dux of SwedenLocated in Genarp, SEPair of lounge chairs by de Swedish designer Alf Svensson for Dux. The chairs are reupholstered with bouclé fabric and has been restored with new padding. The Chairs are very comfo...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Wood