Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen FH4103 Beech & Teak Heart Dining Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer),Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 21.26 in (54 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:
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.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen FH4103 Beech & Teak Heart Chairs, Set of 6By Hans J. Wegner, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Hans Wegner in the 1950s, the FH4103 was manufactured by Fritz Hansen and sold in London by Story’s of Kensington. Constructed from beech and teak wood, the...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Teak
- Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Orange Leather Series 7 Dining ChairBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955, the Series 7 dining chair has been made by Fritz Hansen ever since. A true design icon, the Series...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood
- Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Leather 3107 Series 7 Dining Chairs, Set of 4By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBA true design icon, the Series 7 has become one of the best selling chairs in history. Originally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955 for the H55 exhibition in Sweden, the Series 7 Din...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Ch...
MaterialsLeather
- Hans J. Wegner Teak & Black Leather CH29P Sawbuck Dining Chairs, 1960s, Set of 2By Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1952, the CH29P Sawbuck Chair was manufactured by Carl Hansen & Son until the 1970s and was then reissued again 20 years later. Inspired by ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Fritz Hansen by Arne Jacobsen Monochrome Blue Series 7 Dining Chairs, Set of 6By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBA true design icon, the Series 7 has become one of the best selling chairs in history. Originally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955 for the H55 exhibition in Sweden, the Series 7 Dining chair has been made by Fritz Hansen ever since. Constructed from a pressure-moulded veneer, this set of six chairs feature the iconic hourglass silhouette, with curved edges and rounded corners and can be stacked for easy storage. In a Trieste blue colourway, the steel legs have been powder coated in the same hue to create a fully monochrome design. A fantastic example of classic mid century Scandinavian aesthetic, this set of six Series 7...Category
2010s Polish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAsh
- Fritz Hansen by Arne Jacobsen Orange Leather Series 7 Dining Chairs, Set of 4By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955, the Series 7 Dining chair has been made by Fritz Hansen ever since. A true design icon, the Series...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood
- Hans Wegner Heart Stacking Dining Chairs Model Fh4103 By Fritz HansenBy Fritz Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Hans Wegner in the 1950s, the FH4103 was manufactured by Fritz Hansen and sold in London by Story’s of Kensington. Constructed from beech and teak wood, the...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Oak
- Set Danish “heart” diningchairs, FH4103, Hans J. Wegner for Fritz Hansen, 1950sBy Hans J. Wegner, Fritz HansenLocated in Denventer, NLBeautiful set of 4 dining table chairs, designed by Hans J. Wegner and produced by Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1950s. The triangular construction of the special chairs is a combination of beech and teak wood. The frame is made of birch and the plywood seat is made of teak. The three legs and the shape of the seat are shaped like a heart (heart chair). The iconic chairs...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Teak
- Set of 3 Hans Wegner Fh4103 “Heart” Dining Chairs, 1953By Hans J. WegnerLocated in Hampstead, QCSet of 3 Original Hans Wegner FH4103 “Heart” Chairs for the Fritz Hansen furniture company of Denmark. Manufactured in 1953, these iconic chairs are made of oak (frame and backrest) ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak, Teak
- Ensemble De 6 Chaises FH4103 Par Hans J. Wegner Pour Fritz Hansen, 1952By Hans J. WegnerLocated in Bruxelles, BEModèle conçu à l’origine par Hans J. Wegner dans les années 1950, le FH4103 a été fabriqué par Fritz Hansen et vendu à Londres par Story’s of Kensington. Construites en bois de hê...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Beech
- Set of 4 'FH4103' chairs by Hans J. Wegner for Fritz Hansen, 1950sBy Fritz Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Brussels, BESet of 4 'FH4103' tripod chairs, by the renowned Hans J. Wegner for Fritz Hansen in 1950s. These iconic chairs are affectionately known as the 'heart chair' due to their distinctive ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood, Teak
- 1950s Set 4 FH4103 Heart Dining Chairs by Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen DenmarkBy Fritz HansenLocated in Sherborne, DorsetSuperb set of four first generation 1950s Fritz Hansen FH4103 ‘Heart’ dining chairs, designed in 1953 by Hans Wegner, and are not only beautiful, they’re also practical - three legge...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBeech, 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.