Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Danish, 1847-1902

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.

Creator: Fritz Hansen

Fritz Hansen & George Nelson Stool Seat Wall Clock

By Howard Miller, Fritz Hansen, George Nelson

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Vintage 1950s George Nelson ball clock for George Nelson and Associates and Howard Miller. This clock was designed with Irving Harper in 1949, and was the first among several iconic clock...

Category

20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

Fritz Hansen & George Nelson Stool Seat Wall Clock

Mid-Century Modern Danish Wall Clock by Fritz Hansen, George Nelson, Teak, 1957

By Fritz Hansen

Located in Manhasset, NY

Stool seat wall clock, model 7512, c. 1957 by Fritz Hansen. This finely decorative wall clock is simply stunning and is certain to draw conversation in any room in the home. Produced by George Nelson & Associates, USA, 1950s Stamped 'FH DENMARK...

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1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Teak

Mid-Century Modern Danish Wall Clock by Fritz Hansen, George Nelson, Teak, 1957

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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal, Enamel

Mid-Century Modern Kite Wall Clock by George Nelson, Howard Miller, Vitra Label

H 16.5 in W 21.5 in D 4.25 in

Modern Grandfather Clock by Howard Miller

By Howard Miller, George Nelson

Located in Chicago, IL

Modern grandfather clock by Howard Miller, chrome and Lucite.

Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

Modern Grandfather Clock by Howard Miller

H 56 in W 13 in D 2.5 in

Howard Miller Iconic Clock by George Nelson

By Howard Miller

Located in Riverdale, NY

Iconic and classic Howard Miller ball clock from the 1950's by George Nelson. Wonderful Atomic style with a central clock motif with 50's styl...

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

Howard Miller Iconic Clock by George Nelson

H 3.5 in Dm 13.5 in

George Nelson Meridian Wall Clock Rimini Blue Face by Aldo Londi for Bitossi

By Bitossi, Aldo Londi, George Nelson

Located in Brooklyn, NY

“Meridian” clock designed by George Nelson for the Howard Miller Clock Company. Face is made of “Rimini Blue” Italian ceramic designed by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, battery operated.

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Ceramic

George Nelson Meridian Wall Clock Rimini Blue Face by Aldo Londi for Bitossi

H 1.5 in Dm 14.25 in

George Nelson Mid Century Ball Clock in Brass and Wood

By George Nelson

Located in Weesp, NL

Interestingly, while nearly all of the designs that came out of George’s studio were attributed to him, many were actually designed by him and his team. Some were even designed solely by someone else working at the studio. Nelson famously recounted the story of how the Ball Clock came to life in an interview decades after it’s release: “It was one of the really funny evenings. Noguchi came by, Bucky Fuller came by, and here was Irving, and here was I, and Noguchi - who can’t keep his hands off anything - he saw we were working on clocks and started making doodles. Then Bucky sort of brushed Isamu aside. He said, ‘This is a good way to do a clock’ and made some utterly absurd thing. Everybody was taking a crack at this, pushing each other aside and making scribbles. At some point we left – we were suddenly all tired, and we’d had a little bit too much to drink – and the next morning I came back, and here was this roll of paper, and Irving and I looked at it, and somewhere in this roll, there was a ball clock. I don’t know to this day who cooked it up.” Nevertheless, whoever it was that came up with George Nelson’s designs, it’s almost certain that they would never have come to fruition if it wasn’t for George’s vision and forward-thinking approach. Can you tell me more about his clocks? George’s clocks were one of his most impressive bodies of work. In total, he and his team designed over 130 clocks in just three decades. While it is widely accepted that Irving Harper was the lead designer for the Howard Miller Clock Company at George Nelson Associates, the collection arose after two insightful observations from George: one, that people no longer used the numbers to tell the time; and two, that since most people now used their wristwatch to tell the time, interior clocks were now free to become more decorative in nature. The clocks were designed and released in batches of 8 and were initially only given numbers for names. The Sunflower Clock was simply ‘Clock 2261’, the Flock of Butterflies Clock was 'Clock 2226’, and so on. The Ball was the first clock designed by George and his team and it was followed shortly after by the Star, Sunburst, Spindle, Asterisk, Turbine, Flock of Butterflies, Eye and others. The clocks were purposefully abstract and were designed to complement the modernist furniture emerging at the time. As well as wall clocks, George’s studio also produced a series of desk clocks during that time, most notably the bubble-shaped Night Desk...

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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Mid Century Ball Clock in Brass and Wood

H 2.96 in Dm 13 in

Vintage George Nelson & Associates Metal Spoke Wall Clock for Howard Miller

By George Nelson, Howard Miller

Located in Raleigh, NC

Mid-Century Modern wall clock designed by George Nelson & Associates for Howard Miller Clock Company. Produced in 1955, this piece was named the 'Spoke' clock model no. 2227. Operate...

Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Steel

Vintage George Nelson & Associates Metal Spoke Wall Clock for Howard Miller

H 3 in Dm 24 in

George Nelson Birch & Brass Wall Clock for Howard Miller

By Howard Miller, George Nelson

Located in Los Angeles, CA

George Nelson Birch & Brass wall clock for Howard Miller.

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Birch & Brass Wall Clock for Howard Miller

H 14.5 in W 14.5 in D 3 in

Rare Mid Century Modern George Nelson Orange Ball Clock Model 4755

By George Nelson

Located in Plainview, NY

An original George Nelson ( 1908- 1986) Mid Century Modern Ball Clock model 4755. This iconic clock features a distinctive and modern design with a mid-century aesthetic. The centr...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

Rare Mid Century Modern George Nelson Orange Ball Clock Model 4755

H 3 in Dm 13 in

Postmodern Howard Miller George Nelson 1984 Olympus Table Clock "Tempo 21"

By George Nelson, Howard Miller

Located in Kansas City, MO

Rare "Olympus" table clock by Howard Miller Clock Company. From the 1984 "Tempo 21" collection. The circular red clock face is upheld by a green pyramid base...

Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

Postmodern Howard Miller George Nelson 1984 Olympus Table Clock "Tempo 21"

H 14 in W 8.25 in D 14 in

George Nelson Walnut Spike Clock by Howard Miller

By George Nelson

Located in Cincinnati, OH

An Nelson walnut and painted white metal body spike clock with color coded minute and hour hands. An early electric model in great working condition , retains the original label and ...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

George Nelson Walnut Spike Clock by Howard Miller

H 2.5 in Dm 19 in

Vintage George Nelson / Howard Miller Multi-color Spike / Starburst Clock

By George Nelson, Howard Miller

Located in Buffalo, NY

Iconic Vintage George Nelson / Howard Miller Multi-color Spike / Starburst Electric Wall Clock,, Amazing colors,, wonderful patina,, retains original Howard Miller label,, Tested and...

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

Vintage George Nelson / Howard Miller Multi-color Spike / Starburst Clock

H 19.5 in Dm 19.5 in

George Nelson Model-4758 Wall Clock for Howard Miller

By Howard Miller, George Nelson

Located in Los Angeles, CA

George Nelson Model-4758 wall clock for Howard Miller.

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

George Nelson Model-4758 Wall Clock for Howard Miller

H 14 in W 14 in D 3 in

Fritz Hansen wall clocks for sale on 1stDibs.

Fritz Hansen wall clocks are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Fritz Hansen wall clocks, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original wall clocks by Fritz Hansen were created in the mid-century modern style in scandinavia during the 20th century. Prices for Fritz Hansen wall clocks can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,250 and can go as high as $1,800, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,525.