Fritz Hansen, Pair of High & Low Back Wing Chair in Shearling, Denmark, 1940s
View Similar Items
Fritz Hansen, Pair of High & Low Back Wing Chair in Shearling, Denmark, 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 41.34 in (105 cm)Width: 34.26 in (87 cm)Length: 41.34 in (105 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Refinished.
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1488223247412
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.
- Fritz Hansen High Back Lounge Chair, Model 1669, Denmark, 1940sBy Fritz HansenLocated in Berlin, DEA rare Fritz Hansen high back version of the 1669 lounge armchair. Designed and manufactured by Fritz Hansen, New upholstered in raw natural p...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Easy Chair, Shearling upholstered, Model Åke, Ikea, Sweden, 1950sBy IKEALocated in Berlin, DEClam chair, model Åke, cream colored shearling upholstered, legs and armrests in polished birch. Manufactured by Ikea in Sweden in the 1950s. Great collectors item in excellent vi...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsLambskin, Birch
$8,795 Sale Price20% Off - Sculptural Danish Easy Chairs, Solid Teak, 1960sLocated in Berlin, DEA pair of rare sculptural teak armchairs, Danish work from the 1960s. Absolute eye catcher and quite comfortable. Excellent vintage condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak
$3,848 / set - Børge Mogensen, Pair of Rare 'BM1' Armchairs in Oak and Cane, Sweden, 1960sBy C.M. Madsen, Børge MogensenLocated in Berlin, DEA fantastic pair of Børge Mogensen 'BM1' armchairs in patinated oak and cane. Great original vintage condition. Executed by C.M.Madsens Fabriker, Haarby, Denmark, in the 1960s. Pro...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Oak
- Edvin Helseth, Set of 5 Armchairs in Pinewood, Norway, 1960sBy Trybo, Edvin HelsethLocated in Berlin, DEA set of 5 rare dining chairs with armrests, designed by Edvin Helseth in 1965 in Norway and manufactured by Trybo. The chairs are made of solid pine with a tilting mounted backrest...Category
Vintage 1960s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsPine
- Set of 4 High Back Stained Pine Chairs, Attributed to Axel Einar Hjorth, SwedenBy Axel Einar HjorthLocated in Berlin, DESet of 4 dining chairs in acid stained pine, attributed to Axel Einar Hjorth, model Lovö, Sweden 1930s.Category
Vintage 1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPine
- Pair of Fritz Hansen 1940s Sheepskin Wing ChairsBy Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBPair of Fritz Hansen Model 1672 wing chairs Large wing chairs produced in Denmark in the 1940s by manufacturers Fritz Hansen. The square beech wood legs have been stained and oile...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Beech
Sold$15,968 / set - Fritz Hansen Model 1672 Sheepskin Wing Chair, 1940sBy Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBFritz Hansen Model 1672 Wing Chair A large wing chair produced in Denmark in the 1940s by manufacturers Fritz Hansen. The square beech wood legs have been stained and oiled and th...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Beech
- Rare Lounge Chair by Fritz Hansen, Made in Denmark, 1940sBy Fritz HansenLocated in Lejre, DKLounge chair in lacquered beech and seagrass designed and made by cabinetmaker Fritz Hansen 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsSeagrass, Beech
- 1940s Danish Cabinetmaker Wingback Chair in the Manner of Fritz HansenBy Fritz HansenLocated in Norwalk, CTInspired by Fritz Hansen's iconic 1669 series, this fabulous lounge chair features bold organic-inspired curves, with winged shelter arms and a gently reclined back for cozy lounging...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech, Wood
$2,800 Sale Price20% Off - Frits Henningsen Style Danish 1940s Low Lounge Chair in MahoganyBy Frits HenningsenLocated in Bridgeport, CTBeautiful Classic 1930s-1940s solid mahogany and wool wingback chair in the style of Master Cabinetmaker Frits Henningsen, Denmark. Very elegant design that fits superbly into any mo...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsWool, Mahogany
- 60s, Danish Design by Fritz Hansen, Relax Lounge Chair, Original ConditionBy Fritz HansenLocated in Tarm, 821960s, Danish design by Fritz Hansen. Relax lounge chair, original very good condition, no smells. Light green velour. Oak wood legs, brass spring...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Oak
$1,926 Sale Price20% Off