1960s Wegner Armchair in Patinated Oak and Leather by Johannes Hansen
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer),Johannes Hansen (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.47 in (85 cm)Width: 26.38 in (67 cm)Depth: 19.3 in (49 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Repaired: Checked, restored if needed by cabinetmaker without touching the patina. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Knebel, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2713337543132
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Wegner’s best chair designs, seen in dealer listings below, have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs, for example the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat, bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room. Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
Johannes Hansen
Danish master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen is best known for a celebrated partnership with legendary Scandinavian modernist designer Hans Wegner that lasted half a century. The sophisticated and sculptural chairs, tables and cabinets that Wegner designed and Hansen built earned Wegner worldwide acclaim, and brought meaningful business opportunities to Hansen and his modest workshop.
Hansen was born in 1886 and apprenticed as a cabinetmaker in his early years, opening a workshop and showroom in Copenhagen. In 1927, he helped establish the annual Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition. Later, at the age of 55, Hansen began working with Danish furniture designer Hans J. Wegner, then only 26. With Wegner creating and Hansen executing on his partner’s complex designs, they developed furniture to sell in Hansen's showroom. A business relationship of this type was common in 20th-century Danish furniture making, and Hansen and Wegner enjoyed a prolific and renowned collaboration.
Wegner’s career began in cabinetry before he transitioned to furniture design in the 1940s. He is among the most celebrated figures for collectors of mid-century modern and Scandinavian works of the era. One of the first well-known entries for the Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibitions authored by Wegner and built by Hansen was the 1942 Lattice chair, a red Cuban mahogany dining room chair with an upholstered leather seat. The Peacock chair, an iconic design that followed in 1947, was the pair's take on a traditional English Windsor chair. It featured flattened spindles along the back resembling the feathers of a peacock tail — it wasn’t exactly an emblem of the pared-back functionality prioritized by Kaare Klint, Wegner’s former instructor at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Wegner would go on to design nearly 500 chairs over the course of his life — among them are the Wishbone chair, the Papa Bear chair and the Round chair. The latter, which is often simply called “The Chair,” was manufactured by Hansen and made its debut at the Guild Exhibition in 1949. It was declared “the most beautiful chair in the world” by Interiors magazine a year later, and a pair of the iconic seats appeared on the first nationally televised presidential debate in the United States in 1960.
After Hansen died in 1961, his son, Poul Hansen, took over the business and continued working with Wegner. The company closed in the 1990s, but today, Hansen and Wegner's collaborative legacy endures in collections around the world.
Find vintage Johannes Hansen furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Knebel, Denmark
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 1960s Refinished Danish Erik Buch Armchair in Oak, Inc. ReupholsteryBy Erik Buch, Oddense MaskinsnedkeriLocated in Knebel, DKElegant yet solid Erik Buch armchairs model 50 with excellent woodwork that are evidence of good design and craftsmanship. A solid oak construction with Erik Buch's characteristic e...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- 1990s Johannes Foersom Armchair in Steel and Beech by PaustianBy Paustian, Johannes FoersomLocated in Knebel, DKDanish stackable Johannes Foersom armchairs designed in 1998 in tube steel, beech, chrome and black leather made by Paustian. The chairs feature elegant organic round shaped arm- ...Category
1990s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1960s Erik Buch Model 67 Armchair in Teak and Leather, Orum MobelfabrikBy Erik Buch, Ørum MøblerLocated in Knebel, DK1960s model 67 "Captains Chair" in teak and leather for Ørum Møbelfabrik. The well designed and very comfortable armchair is considered to be among t...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- 1960s Finn Juhl Set of Two Fully Restored Armchairs in Teak and Leather by CadoBy Finn Juhl, CadoLocated in Knebel, DKSet of two Finn Juhl armchairs in Bangkok teak and black leather designed in 1963 and made by France and Son / Cado in the 1960s The armchairs have a solid stabile frame...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- 1960s Danish Hans J. Wegner Three-Seat Sofa in Oak and Brown Leather by GETAMABy Hans J. Wegner, GETAMALocated in Knebel, DKThree-seat Danish sofa in oak by Hans J. Wegner for GETAMA The rarely seen model GE-40 sofa with it´s simple but elegant Wegner design feature a strong oak frame with small and s...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Adam Style Sofas
MaterialsOak
- 1990s Set of Four Danish Johannes Foersom Armchairs in Steel and Black LeatherBy Paustian, Johannes FoersomLocated in Knebel, DKSet of four Johannes Foersom stackable armchairs designed in 1998 in tube steel, beech, chrome and black fabric made by Paustian. The chairs feature elegant organic round shaped a...Category
1990s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen "The Chair" Oak and Leather Round Chair, 1960sBy Knoll, Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in South Bend, INOffering a rare and exceptional JH 501 armchair. Most commonly known as "The Chair", this is expertly designed for style and comfort and exquisitely constructed from solid oak. The c...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Hans J. Wegner Jh-515 Armchair for Johannes HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Copenhagen, DKHans J. Wegner model JH 515 oak armchair. Seat and back upholstered with canvas. Executed by cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, Denmark.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Hans J. Wegner Jh-515 Armchair for Johannes HansenBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Copenhagen, DKHans J. Wegner model JH 515 oak armchair. Seat and back upholstered with green fabric. Executed by cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, Denmark.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Set of Four Stacking Armchairs by Hans Wegner & Johannes HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Sagaponack, NYA set of four stacking armchairs with cream webbed seats in beechwood.Category
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Set of Six Stacking Armchairs by Hans Wegner & Johannes HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Sagaponack, NYA set of six stackable beech armchairs with black woven chairs.Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Hans Wegner JH-515 Black Leather Teak Armchair for Johannes HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Miami, FLVintage easy chair designed by Hans Wegner and executed by Johannes Hansen in the 1950s. Rare lounge chair model JH-515. Genuine, soft, black leather in excellent condition. The sple...Category
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.