Fritz Hansen Swivel Desk Chair Bauhaus Style Tube Steel and Beechwood, 1930s
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer)
- Similar to:Magnus Stephensen (Designer)Frits Schlegel (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)Seat Height: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The chairs shows signs of wear but is fully functional and stable. No repairs.
- Seller Location:Odense, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3793128268742
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: Ullerslev, Denmark
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Fritz Hansen "DAN" Swivel Chair by Magnus Stephensen in Bent Beechwood, 1930sBy Magnus Stephensen, Fritz HansenLocated in Odense, DKRare and important "DAN" swivel chair in beech bentwood produced at Fritz Hansen, Copenhagen in the 1930s. The chair was designed by Magnus Stephensen and is considered an icon in th...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Fritz Hansen "DAN" Swivel Chair by Magnus Stephensen in Bent Beechwood, 1930sBy Magnus Stephensen, Fritz HansenLocated in Odense, DKRare and important "DAN" swivel chair in beech bentwood produced at Fritz Hansen, Copenhagen in the 1930s. The chair was designed by Magnus Stephensen and is considered an icon in th...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Kaare Klint "Church" Chair in Stained Beechwood & Papercord, Fritz Hansen, 1930sBy Kaare Klint, Fritz HansenLocated in Odense, DKEarly example of Kaare Klints iconic "Church" chair designed in 1936 and manufactured by Fritz Hansen, Copenhagen. This beautifully worn piece retains the original papercord seat and...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsPapercord, Beech
- Fritz Hansen Sewing Box in Beechwood and Leather by Søren Hansen, Denmark, 1933By Fritz Hansen, Søren HansenLocated in Odense, DKRare and important piece of design from the early beginning of the Danish Modern furniture era. This sewing box was made at Fritz Hansen & Son, Copenhagen in the 1930s. It is made fr...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Arne Jacobsen Model 3103 "T-Chairs" by Fritz Hansen Leather & Steel, 1970sBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Odense, DKSet of rare Arne Jacobsens Model 3103 "T-chair" in the original grey leather upholstery. Made and marked by Fritz Hansen in the late 1970s. Th...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Scandinavian Modern Swivel Working Stool in Steel & Leather by KEVI, DenmarkBy KeviLocated in Odense, DKVintage swivel office stool in steel and leather manufactured by KEVI, Denmark in the 1960s. The chair can be height adjusted. This model was produced in limited numbers and is a rar...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- Fritz Hansen "DAN" Swivel Chair by Magnus Stephensen in Bentwood, 1930sBy Frits Hansen/Soren Hansen, Magnus StephensenLocated in Haddonfield, NJFritz Hansen "DAN" Swivel chair by Magnus Stephensen in Bentwood, 1930s Rare and important "DAN" swivel chair in beech bentwood produced at Fritz Hansen, Copenhagen in the 1930s. The chair was designed by Magnus Stephensen and is considered an icon in the history of Danish Modern design. The seat can be adjusted up and down by turning the top of the chair. Marked "FH DAN" on the underside. Good condition with all original parts and no repairs. Around 1930, the first Danish-designed chairs in steam-bent beech wood, called the DAN Chair, were brought to market. Although clearly inspired by the work of Thonet, the chairs were distinctly Scandinavian with cleaner lines and a lighter, more functional expression. Steam-bending wood is an economical and ecological production technique with a rich heritage. The pursuit of the steam-bending technique was game changing; not only for Fritz Hansen, but for the furniture industry at-large. The grandson of the founder of the Fritz Hansen designed a DAN chair for the company in 1930 - a rationalisation and simplification of the Café Chair - and then architect Magnus Stephensen designed the dining chair "Model 234" that combined a bent-wood frame with a more comfortable shaped and curved back rest in wood. This was also produced as a swivel chair...Category
Early 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- First Edition Arne Jacobsen 3117 Desk Swivel Chair by Fritz HansenBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Utrecht, NLArne Jacobsen swivel desk chair model 3117 office chair. Original, first series four-star swivel base with chromed steel feet on casters. Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955. The chair has a new handstitched upholstery exactly like the original. This unique craftsmanship detail is an important feature of the original design and is rarely found on re-upholstered AJ chairs...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Swivel Office ChairBy Fritz HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis stunning vintage modern desk chair boasts a tag underneath with the date 1980 and designer name, "Fritz Hansen." A lovely Danish design ...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Set 'Oxford' ChairsBy Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Waalwijk, NLArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, set of eight 'Oxford' chairs, metal, yellow fabric, Denmark, design 1965. These classic executive office chairs feature a medium high back (as oppo...Category
Early 2000s Danish Scandinavian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Office Chair in Red UpholsteryBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Waalwijk, NLArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, office chair model ‘3217’, wood, fabric, chrome-plated metal, plastic, Denmark, designed in 1955, later production This office chair by Arne Jacobsen...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Metal
- Original Labelled Arne Jacobsen For Fritz Hansen Cream Leather "Oxford" ChairBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in High Wycombe, GBOriginal design by Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) for Fritz Hansen. An original off-white leather and brushed aluminum framed swivel Oxford chair, having cream leather padded upholstery, raised on five-spoke base, labelled to underside. Stamped and labelled December 1971, the manufacture date. Designed by Arne Jacobsen as a chair for professors at St. Catherine’s College in Oxford, England, the Oxford chair is a flexible yet comfortable task chair & it works as well in a home office or dining room as it does in a meeting room...Category
Late 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum