Vintage Danish Mid century 1960s Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen Swan chair in beautifully patinated brown leather with a swivelling, height adjustable, aluminium base. 
 
This is possibly one of the most beautifully finished and patinated versions of Jacobson’s iconic Swan chair currently available; and if you have researched buying an early vintage Swan you’ll understand what I mean. 
 
When it was first designed in the late 50’s it was based on a revolutionary concept at that time of using a Styropore foam shell moulded over a glass fibre reinforcement to create the now famous sculptural ‘Swan’ form – and this was also used for Jacobsen’s ‘Egg’ chair at that time too as both were designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen in 1958. However, over the years the original foam used degraded and would often crumble away, which dramatically affected both the structural integrity of the design and also the appearance of the leather cover; the leather would dry out, sag and then crack where the foam support was compromised. This was not only obviously based on how regularly the chair was used but also how much the foam had perished because of age and humidity; the latter seeming to have a direct effect on the Styropore’s integrity.
 
As such it’s very rare to find a chair from the late 50’s through to the early 70s that remains in a good, useable and comfortable condition; most have a hard, lumpy seat and cracks in the leather at the base of the arms and back where the chair shell flexes most, or, have been refoamed and reupholstered. 
 
We are therefore very lucky in that this particular chair seems to have been very well looked after and resisted the ravages of time. Recently repatriated from California where it lived all its life, it’s clear that the climate was of great benefit to the chair’s condition. The leather and the foam remains in excellent vintage condition with a beautiful patina commensurate with age and use. The colour ranges from almost black on the edges to dark and mid brown, with redder cognac hues; it’s like an oil painting. And finally, you can see that it appears to have a waxed finish as the leather has a deep shine and lustre with an almost silky feel. 
 
And who knows, maybe this finish was the key to its condition as all chairs of that era were usually sheathed in a more raw unfinished aniline leather. Aniline leather was designed to age gradually over time but would inevitably pick up grease and water marks because the leather was not sealed. This is why when you see older Danish chairs they usually have splash marks, stains and dark patches ingrained in the leather, so every chair will have its own unique character. The only other exception to this has been some 1950’s Kold Christensen, Poul Kjaerholm PK9s I’ve seen which had the exact same soft and silky, shiny wax like finish as this chair. 
 
This particular model also has a height adjustable base that allows you to vary the seat height by 8cm from 43cm - 51cm; so it’s a great fit for most people regardless of height. This adaptation was an option offered on the original fixed height model designed for the SAS and was introduced in the early 1960’s. This is further evidenced by the original Fritz Hansen silver foil label fixed to the revolving collar under the swivelling seat and shows a date (as can be seen in the photographs) of 10 68 (October, 1968).

The metal fixing plate, revolving collar, adjustment screw handle, bearings and aluminium base also remain in very good vintage condition with only very minor signs of age related pitting and tarnish.    
 
Incidentally, the very first Swans were produced in limited numbers for the SAS Hotel and originally had a brass plated base. Occasionally you’ll see one come up for sale at auction with the Danish Royal Crown impressed under the base, but they truly are very rare birds.
     
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