Ejner Larsen & Axel Bender Madsen Settee for Fritz Hansen
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer),Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.25 in (84.46 cm)Width: 62 in (157.48 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good vintage condition, professionally cleaned.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1645227743272
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: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen Stool for Willy BeckBy Willy Beck, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Los Angeles, CACane stool by Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen for Willy Beck, c.1950s, Denmark. The stool features a woven cane seat and tapered teak dowel legs. Dimensions 22" width x 16" dept...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsTeak, Cane
- Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen Leather & Teak Chair for Willy BeckBy Willy Beck, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Los Angeles, CARare armchair by Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen for Willy Beck, c.1950s, Denmark. The chair features a solid teak frame and black leather upholstered wide seat and backrest. D...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen Leather Wrapped Teak Chair for Willy BeckBy Willy Beck, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Los Angeles, CAArmchair by Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen for Willy Beck, c.1950s, Denmark. The chair features a solid teak frame with a dark navy leather upholstered wide seat, backrest and le...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Frits Henningsen Style SetteeBy Frits HenningsenLocated in Los Angeles, CAFrits Henningsen style settee in collaboration with Elizabeth Law of Elizabeth Law Design. Born and raised in South Carolina, Law draws inspiration from the discoveries of her travel...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsUpholstery, Beech
- Hans Wegner Sofa for A.P. StolenBy Hans J. Wegner, A.P. StolenLocated in Los Angeles, CAA classic sofa by Hans Wegner for A.P. Stolen, c.1950s, Denmark. The "AP-32" sofa has been fully reupholstered in a chalk white textured linen fabric with olive leather piping. The l...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLinen, Leather, Oak
- Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze Patio Two Seater SetteeBy Brown Jordan, Walter LambLocated in Los Angeles, CABronze two seater settee by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. The settee has a beautiful curved construction in tubular bronze with a patinated verdigris finish. The sofa has one rounded support at the middle of the sofa and a stretcher that runs the length of the piece. The arm rests carry the same curved detail with double bronze tubing. This piece has been newly reroped. All Walter Lamb patio furniture at DEN has been restored with the utmost attention to the designer’s original specifications. We rope all seating...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsBronze
- Early "Metropolitan Chair", Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen for Fritz HansenBy Fritz Hansen, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Brooklyn, NYAn iconic 'Metropolitan Chair' designed by Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen in 1950. Frame in solid beech with backrest and seat in teak plywood. The name of the chair comes from t...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Teak
- Eight Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen Oak Armchairs, Inc. ReupholsteryBy Fritz Hansen, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Knebel, DKSet of 8 armchairs in oak designed by Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen armchairs in 1955 for Fritz Hansen. The comfortable, well designed and al...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Ejner Larsen & Axel Bender Madsen, "Slotholm" Wingback Easy ChairBy Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Winnipeg, CAA stunning wingback chair designed by Ejnar Larsen for the Morten Olsen, "Slotholm" series. This rarely seen chair is in fantastic condition and is extremely comfortable.Category
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen Oak Armchair / Desk Chair, Inc. ReupholsteryBy Fritz Hansen, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Knebel, DKArmchair / desk chair in oak designed by Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen in 1955 for Fritz Hansen. The comfortable, well designed and almost timeless chairs have been checked ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Søren Hansen, Rare Sofa / Bench Model 2240 for Fritz Hansen, 1939By Søren Hansen, Fritz HansenLocated in Paris, FRTwo-seat sofa, model 2240, made of Beech wood designed by Søren Hansen in 1939 and manufactured by Fritz Hansen. A rare find and very collectable piece. As a sculptural piece, this ...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Velvet, Beech, Fabric
- Lounge Chair by Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen for Willy BeckBy Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender MadsenLocated in Dallas, TXA rare teak and leather lounge chair by Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen for Willy Beck.Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak