Hans J. Wegner Flag Halyard Chair
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Hans J. Wegner Flag Halyard Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 41.74 in (106 cm)Depth: 47.25 in (120 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1958
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU992713471422
Flag Halyard Chair
In its broad form and wealth of hard angles, Hans J. Wegner’s Flag Halyard chair is one of the more visually flamboyant pieces to emerge from Danish mid-century modernism. Legend has it that Wegner (1914–2007) conceptualized the piece in 1950 while on vacation at the beach, molding its seat out of sand and attaching a bit of halyard — rope typically used on sailboats — that he found nearby.
Danish brand Getama picked up the chair for production, an undoubtedly difficult task given the piece’s suspension construction and unusual combination of materials.
The original Flag Halyard consists of chrome-plated steel, woven rope, linen and a sheepskin throw; subsequent models incorporate leather cushions. But Wegner, who established his studio in 1943 after graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and working for Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller on furniture for Aarhus City Hall in 1938, was never one to shy away from unconventional material or construction — and an early apprenticeship with master cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg instilled in him a devotion to fine details.
Around the same time that Wegner created the Flag Halyard chair, he developed the widely beloved Wishbone chair and an armchair in 1949 commonly known as “The Chair,” which earned him international recognition when it was used in the 1960 U.S. presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Compared to these two seats, the Flag Halyard is a delightfully experimental marriage of material. Today, it’s manufactured by PP Møbler.
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.
- Early Edition Flag Chair by Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Los Angeles, CAHans J. Wegner flag halyard easy chair with original white steel frame and black shoes, orange neck cushion. Designed by Hans J. Wegner, 1950s Early Edition, manufactured by Getama, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Hans Wegner Early Flag Halyard Chair with SheepskinBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOAn early c. 1950 Flag Halyard chair in very good vintage condition. Hans Wegner conceived this iconic design while lounging at the beach. We added one of our cozy, high loft Californ...Category
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- 2 lounge chairs Model AP 62 by Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in PARIS, FRAn elegant and sober design by Hans Wegner produced by the Danish manufacturer A.P. Stolen. The clean lines of these armchairs are highlighted by the beautiful rosewood structure and...Category
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$7,664 / set - Hans J. Wegner 'Hammock Chair', for Getama, 1967By GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Copenhagen, DKA rare Hans J. Wegner Hammock chaise lounge. Beautiful patinated oak frame and original halyard with copper details. Light linen fabric cushion with ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chaise Longues
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- Lounge Chair Flag Halyard PP 225 by Hans Wegner New EditionBy PP Møbler, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Courbevoie, FRFlag Halyard chair lounge chair PP 225 new edition. The Flag Halyard Hans Wegner is a tribute to the modernist Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe and Marcel Bre...Category
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- The Flag Halyard Chair designed by Hans J. Wegner for Getama, Denmark, 1950By Hans J. Wegner, GETAMALocated in Stockholm, SEThe Flag Halyard Chair designed by Hans J. Wegner for Getama, Denmark, 1950 Lacquered steel frame, wooden "shoes", textile and chromed steel top...Category
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