Pair of Arne Jacobsen Denmark Oxford Swivel Chairs High Back Style, 3172
View Similar Items
Pair of Arne Jacobsen Denmark Oxford Swivel Chairs High Back Style, 3172
About the Item
- Creator:Arne Jacobsen (Designer),Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 50 in (127 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 23 in (58.42 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2007
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:West Hartford, CT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3072311483573
Oxford Chair
Characterized by clean lines and an application of ergonomics, the Oxford chairs in the banquet hall at Oxford University’s St. Catherine’s College suggest style and prestige, and the professors who sit in them wouldn’t have it any other way.
Celebrated Danish architect Arne Jacobsen (1902–71) created the graceful high-backed chair as part of his 1960 architectural commission to design the campus. Not unlike the work he had just completed at the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Jacobsen’s modernist vision for what became the esteemed institution on England’s River Cherwell was all-encompassing: He created clocks, flatware and all of the furnishings for the school. In the dining hall, the students would be seated in his low, lightweight 1955 Series 7 chairs, while their teachers relaxed in the regal Oxford chairs.
Jacobsen excelled at product and furniture design, achievements that owe to his careful attention to every detail of his architectural work. A one-time bricklayer who became a leading figure in a field largely dominated by former cabinetmakers, the Copenhagen native is widely known for his sophisticated chairs.
While he was still an architecture student in 1925 at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Jacobsen won an award for a chair he designed at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. Later, in 1952, following years of executing successful architectural projects out of his own practice, Jacobsen designed his revered Ant chair, a slim and stackable piece for the employee cafeteria of a pharmaceutical company. The Ant is a modernist marvel — its one-piece plywood seat and backrest derived from the work that American designers Charles and Ray Eames had advanced in their plywood furniture making. Jacobsen’s improvements on the Ant yielded the curvy Series 7, which he utilized in his commission at St. Catherine’s College.
Made of molded sliced veneer, the fully upholstered shell of the Oxford chair produced for St. Catherine’s College was specifically crafted with a high back to offer privacy for professors as they dined at the banquet hall’s long tables. The chair was intended to symbolize the faculty’s authority over the student body. St. Catherine’s was still under construction when it officially opened in 1962, as Jacobsen didn’t complete the project until the following year. Fritz Hansen introduced the Oxford chair in 1965. In addition to the towering professorial original, it is now available in low- or medium-height versions, privacy and authority be damned.
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.
- Pair of Newly Upholstered Emerald Green Velvet Swivel Club ChairsLocated in West Hartford, CTThese mid-century barrel back swivel club chairs have recently been reupholstered in an emerald green Donghia velvet fabric and are super comfortable.Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Matching Large Charles Stewart Swivel Reading Arm Chairs ArmchairsBy Charles Stewart Co.Located in West Hartford, CTRare pair of large scale 360 degree swivel reading chairs with great scale and better lines. Extremely comfortable and made in Hickory, N.C. by Charles Stewart Furniture.Category
Late 20th Century American Swivel Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Mid Century Modern 1970s Drexel Swivel Chairs in New Boucle FabricBy DrexelLocated in West Hartford, CTElegant pair of rare Drexel Furniture mid century swivel chairs just reupholstered in white boucle fabric. Note the chair seat height which is a little higher than your normal mcm chair...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsTextile, Bouclé, Wood
- Pair Mid-Century Modern Nautilus Swivel Chairs with New Abstract UpholsteryLocated in West Hartford, CTMagnificent matching pair of early 1980's Nautilus chair that have been new reupholstered. The fabric is an abstract and nothing short of spectacular. Now, more than ever, home is wh...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Textile, Wood
- Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates Slim Jim High-Back Lounge ChairBy Craft Associates, Adrian PearsallLocated in West Hartford, CTElegant, rare, coveted Pearsall Slim Jim chair. It's height, at 55", sets this chair apart from the crowd. Iconic Pearsall design throughout. I...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Textile, Walnut
- Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates Extra Large High-back Chair Model 2139-CBy Craft Associates, Adrian PearsallLocated in West Hartford, CTOne of Adrian Pearsall's larger chairs, this one is 54" tall and sits like a throne on wheels. The chair is structurally sound but will need to be reupholstered and refilled. A great...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Textile, Walnut
- Arne Jacobsen High Back 'Oxford' Swivel ChairsBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Waalwijk, NLArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, set of six 'Oxford' desk chairs model 3272, aluminium, wood, fabric upholstery, United Kingdom, design 1965, later production. The original version o...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$1,100 / item - Set of Five Oxford Swivel Chairs in Brown Leather by Arne Jacobsen, Design 1965By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Hellouw, NLSet of five 'Oxford Chairs' swivel dining chairs with brown leather upholstery and a metal frame. These chairs, with model 3171, are designed in 1965 and executed at a later date by ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Danish Modern High Back Swivel Oxford chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz HansenBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Belmont, MAArne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, 'Oxford' high backed desk chair, aluminum, wood, fabric upholstery, United Kingdom, design 1965, recent production. The original version of the 'Oxfo...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$1,050 Sale Price30% Off - Fritz Hansen Oxford Desk Chair Designed by Arne Jacobsen, 1963 DenmarkBy Fritz HansenLocated in Antwerp, BEOxford low back desk chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen. Designed in 1963 for the professors of St. Catherine’s College in Oxford. Blue uphols...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$967 Sale Price / item20% Off - Midcentury Swiveling Swan Chair after Arne JacobsenBy Arne JacobsenLocated in Brooklyn, NYStylish midcentury swiveling chair styled after Arne Jacobsen's "Swan Chair". Nice addition to any modern interior. Please confirm item location with dealer (NJ or NY).Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,120 Sale Price30% Off - Pair of Vintage Fuzzy Leopard Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair Style Swivel ChairsBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Chattanooga, TNPair of super sexy lounge chair in plush, fuzzy leopard print wool material. Recently reupholstered with tons of life on the fabric. The ultra modern chair...Category
Vintage 1970s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
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.