Pair of Stools by Arne Jacobsen
View Similar Items
Pair of Stools by Arne Jacobsen
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer),Arne Jacobsen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Diameter: 14 in (35.56 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some wear and marks to the tops.
- Seller Location:San Mateo, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU95361028938
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.
- Walnut and Laminate Table with a Pair of Stools by Richbilt Mfg.By Richbilt MFGLocated in San Mateo, CALow table with two stools made by Richbilt Manufacturing. The table and stools are walnut. The table has an inset black laminate top. This set is sometimes attributed to Jens Risom, ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsUpholstery, Laminate, Walnut
- Chrome X Base Stool by Swaim OriginalsBy Swaim, John MascheroniLocated in San Mateo, CAOttoman or stool made by Swaim Originals of High Point, N.C. This was likely designed by John Mascheroni. This has a chrome plated X base. The construct...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Stools
MaterialsChrome
- Gilbert Rohde Art Deco Z Stool for Troy SunshadeBy Gilbert Rohde, Troy Sunshade CompanyLocated in San Mateo, CAZ stool designed by Gilbert Rohde for Troy Sunshade Company. The stool is in original condition. The chrome shows a little surface wear. The original upholster...Category
Vintage 1930s American Machine Age Stools
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Pair of Rosewood Chests by Poul Norreklit for Sigurd HansenBy Poul Nørreklit, Sigurd Hansen MøbelfabrikLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of rosewood dressers designed by Poul Norreklit. These were made by Sigurd Hansen Mobelfabrik of Denmark. The legs and handles are chrome plated. The grain on the rosewood is ou...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Rosewood and Glass End Tables by Henning NorgaardBy Komfort, Henning NorgaardLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of rosewood and glass end tables designed by Henning Norgaard. The frames are solid Brazilian rosewood. These are in original condition. The glass top on one table has a few sma...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsGlass, Rosewood
- Pair of Birdseye Maple Burl and Resin Cube Side Tables by Edward WormleyBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in San Mateo, CACube side tables or pedestals made by Dunbar. Edward Wormley designed these unusual and uncommon tables. These have a birds eye maple burl top and band along the bottom. The black is...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsEpoxy Resin, Birdseye Maple
- Pair of Dot Stools Upholstered with Black Leather by Arne Jacobsen, 1971By Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Lejre, DKThe pair of dot stools upholstered with black leather, designed by Arne Jacobsen and manufactured by Fritz Hansen in 1971, is a stylish and functional addition to any interior space....Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsChrome
- Set of Four Early Arne Jacobsen Teak Dot StoolsBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in New York, NYSet of four original early production Arne Jacobsen teak dot stools. with enamelled metal tripod legs. Arne Jacobsen co-developed the Dot stool with the Danish furniture manufacturer Fritz Hansen in the early 1950s. Like the Ant chair...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsTeak
$3,900 / set - Arne Jacobsen Lancome StoolBy Arne JacobsenLocated in Rochester, NYLancome makeup stool for department store make up counters. Designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen. Bent plywood seat.Category
Early 2000s Danish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of black Arne Jacobsen Dot tripod Stools Mod. 3107 for Fritz HansenBy Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Vienna, ATIntroducing a pair of black lacquered original vintage Dot tripod stools, model 3107, a design that has become synonymous with Danish Modernism. Created by the legendary Arne Jacobse...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- First Edition Pair ‘Dot’ Stools by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1960sBy Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Antwerp, BEFirst edition pair ‘DOT’ stools by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1960s. This three legged stool features nickel plated metal legs with teak seat top. Presented in its origi...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
$1,043 Sale Price / set20% Off - Dot Stool with Black Leather Designed by Arne Jacobsen, 1971By Fritz Hansen, Arne JacobsenLocated in Lejre, DKDot Skammel, designed by the renowned Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in 1971, is a timeless piece of furniture that exudes simplicity and elegance. Produced by the renowned Danish fu...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather
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.