Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Black Egg Chair
View Similar Items
Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Black Egg Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Maker),Arne Jacobsen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 42 in (106.68 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good condition. Age appropriate wear on vintage upholstery with no rips or tears.
- Seller Location:Rio Vista, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1555211802191
Arne Jacobsen
The eye-catching work of the Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen often introduces new collectors to mid-20th century furniture. With their fluid lines and sculptural presence, Jacobsen’s signature pieces — the elegant Swan chair and the cozy-yet-cutting edge Egg chair, both first presented in 1958 — are iconic representations of both the striking aesthetic of the designers of the era and their concomitant attention to practicality and comfort. Jacobsen designed furniture that had both gravitas and groove.
Though Jacobsen is a paragon of Danish modernism, his approach to design was the least “Danish” of those who are counted as his peers. The designs of Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, Børge Mogensen and others grew out of their studies as cabinetmakers. They prized skilled craftsmanship and their primary material was carved, turned and joined wood. Jacobsen was first and foremost an architect, and while he shared his colleagues’ devotion to quality of construction, he was far more open to other materials such as metal and fiberglass.
Many of Jacobsen’s best-known pieces had their origin in architectural commissions. His molded-plywood, three-legged Ant chair (1952) was first designed for the cafeteria of a pharmaceutical company headquarters. The tall-backed Oxford chair was made for the use of dons at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, whose Jacobsen-designed campus opened in 1962 (while still under construction). The Swan, Egg and Drop chairs and the AJ desk lamp were all created as part of Jacobsen’s plan for the SAS Royal Copenhagen Hotel, which opened in 1960. (The hotel has since been redecorated, but one guest room has been preserved with all-Jacobsen accoutrements.)
To Jacobsen’s mind, the chief merit of any design was practicality. He designed the first stainless-steel cutlery set made by the Danish silver company Georg Jensen; Jacobsen’s best-selling chair — the plywood Series 7 — was created to provide lightweight, stackable seating for modern eat-in kitchens. But as you will see from the objects on 1stDibs, style never took a backseat to function in Arne Jacobsen’s work. His work merits a place in any modern design collection.
Find authentic Arne Jacobsen chairs, tables, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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.
Erin Lane Estate is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and its team of furniture restorers, art curators, professional appraisers and Asia specialists sources prime vintage and antique furniture from the finest estates in Northern and Southern California. Erin Lane Estate specializes in Hollywood Regency, McGuire, Chinese and Japanese pieces.
- Pair of Italian Gio Ponti Style Ebonized Lounge ChairsLocated in Rio Vista, CADramatic pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern sculptural lounge chairs or wing chairs featuring a black lacquer ebonized finish. These radically redesigned wing chairs have gracefully ...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Pair of Ralph Lauren Attributed Leather Writers Wingback Chairs with OttomanLocated in Rio Vista, CABeautifully weathered pair of leather writers chairs or wingback chairs made in the style and manner of Ralph Lauren. The large wing chairs are c...Category
20th Century American Chesterfield Wingback Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury Mario Papperzini for Salterini Iron Wingback Garden ChairLocated in Rio Vista, CAWhimsical Mid-Century Modern patio and garden wingback armchair made in the manner and style of Mario Papperzini for John Salterini. The armchair features a wrought iron frame with a...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Georgian Style Mahogany Hunter Green Leather Wingback ChairLocated in Rio Vista, CAEnglish Georgian style mahogany framed wingback chair featuring a regal hunter green leather upholstery. The large armchair features a hardwood mahogany frame with gracefully curved,...Category
20th Century American Georgian Wingback Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Ralph Lauren Tufted Cigar Leather Wingback Writer's ChairBy HenredonLocated in Rio Vista, CABeautifully weathered cigar leather wingback writers chair attributed to Henredon for Ralph Lauren. The hardwood frame is covered with thick, tufted cig...Category
20th Century American Chesterfield Wingback Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Christian Audigier Modern Faux Leather Wingback ChairsLocated in Rio Vista, CADistinctive pair of modern wingback armchairs featuring an intentionally distressed faux-leather upholstery by Christian Audigier. Crafted from hard...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Armchair “Egg Chair” Designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1958By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Stockholm, SEArmchair “Egg chair” designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark. 1958. Original leather and aluminium. Very early model with the built up seat, without separate cushion. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Mid Century Egg ChairBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Countryside, ILArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Mid Century Egg Chair This chair measures: 34 wide x 31 deep x 42 inches high, with a seat height of 16.5 and arm...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Mid Century Egg Chairs - PairBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Countryside, ILArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Mid Century Egg Chairs - Pair Each egg chair measures: 35 wide x 31 deep x 42.25 high, with a seat height of 14.5...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 1966 Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Egg Chair in LeatherBy Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Palm Springs, CAA wonderful beige colored leather egg chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen. It has the date code 0466 indicating a production date of 1966. The chair post and the chair bottom ha...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Mid Century Egg Chair - PairBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Countryside, ILArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Mid Century Egg Chair - Pair Each chair measures: 34 wide x 31 deep x 42 inches high, with a seat height of 16.5 ...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 2003 Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Blue Egg Chair 4+ AvailBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a single Egg Chair designed by Arne Jacobsen and produced by Fritz Hansen in Denmark in 2003. The price listed is for one chair, though multiples are available. Each chair is...Category
Early 2000s Danish Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
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.
Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair Scrambled the Idea of What a Wingback Could Be
The curvaceous Egg was designed to cradle the body and offer privacy. Later, it became the seat of choice for bosses in movies, too.