Fritz Hansen "DAN" Swivel Chair by Magnus Stephensen in Bent Beechwood, 1930s
About the Item
- Creator:Magnus Stephensen (Designer),Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.68 in (83 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 20.87 in (53 cm)Seat Height: 18.51 in (47 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. Minor structural damages. Good condition. Cleaned and checked by Danish cabinetmaker.
- Seller Location:Odense, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3793135551782
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 Swivel Desk Chair Bauhaus Style Tube Steel and Beechwood, 1930sBy Fritz Hansen, Frits Schlegel, Magnus StephensenLocated in Odense, DKEarly Fritz Hansen swivel chair in tube steel and solid beechwood with an amazing patina to the steel and the wooden parts. Scandinavian interpretation of the functinalist Bauhaus mo...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Danish Cabinetmaker 1940s Functionalist Side Chairs, Att. Magnus StephensenBy Magnus Stephensen, Fritz HansenLocated in Odense, DKSet of Danish Modern side chairs made in the 1940s and attributed to Danish architect Magnus Stephensen. Executed in solid elm tree and black leatherette. Big chairs with wonderful o...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Elm
- 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
- 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
- Early Modern Side Chair in Patinated Mahogany in Style of Fritz Hansen, Denmark.By Martin Nyrop, Fritz HansenLocated in Odense, DKCharming side chair from around 1900. The chair is made from solid mahogany with a stunning patina. In the style of Martin Nyrop, Fritz Hansen and other early Danish Modernism. Great...Category
Antique Early 1900s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Magnus Stephensen Lounge Chair in Dark Stained Beechwood by Fritz HansenBy Fritz Hansen, Magnus StephensenLocated in Valby, 84Rare Magnus Stephensen lounge chair in dark stained beechwood by Fritz Hansen in the 1940s. The chair is in good condition with a beautiful patina and ready to be taking in use, the chair is the perfect detail to any interior and fits the typical Scandinavian interior but could also fit a more modern interior or a Wabi Sabi style interior. This chair could work perfectly as a lounge chair by the coffe table or as a reading chair or what else you could imagine it for in your interior. Magnus Læssøe Stephensen (born 12 October 1903 in Holte, died 14...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Rare Mid-Century Modern Magnus Stephensen Armchairs for Fritz Hansen 1930sBy Fritz Hansen, Magnus StephensenLocated in Copenhagen, DKMAGNUS STEPHENSEN & FRITZ HANSEN SCANDINAVIAN MODERN A beautiful pair of armchairs by Danish architect and designer Magnus Stephensen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1930s. The armchair...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSeagrass, Beech
- Magnus Stephensen lounge chair in beech, cane and wool, Fritz Hansen 1930'sBy Fritz Hansen, Magnus StephensenLocated in Esbjerg, DKMagnus Stephensen lounge chair with frame of stained beech. New upholstered with Hallingdal Wool. With the original cane in the seat. Made by Fritz Hansen in the 1930sCategory
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Cane, Beech
- 1930s Danish Armchairs by Magnus Læssøe Stephensen produced by Fritz HansenBy Magnus StephensenLocated in København K, 84Rare pair of 1930s Fritz Hansen easy chairs in beech new upholstered cushions in premium vegetal leather, designed by architect Magnus L. Stephense...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Bentwood Model 234 Chair by Magnus Stephensen for Fritz Hansen, 1920sBy Magnus StephensenLocated in Kiel, SHBentwood Model 234 Chair by Magnus Stephensen for Fritz Hansen, 1920s in used condition with signs of use and age.Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern 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 (proven by the metal cap to underside - see image #14) on 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