Fritz Hansen

Danish furniture maker in Copenhagen and Allerød, known for Arne Jacobsen’s Ant, Series 7, Egg and Swan. The chairs have stamps or labels under the seat, from the 1950s often with the year of manufacture.

The cabinetmaker Fritz Hansen started his workshop in Copenhagen, and the company began early to work with bentwood. In the 1930s it developed chairs in moulded plywood.

Arne Jacobsen's Ant of 1952 and Series 7 of 1955 in moulded veneer became some of the best-selling chairs in the world. The Egg and the Swan were made in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, and the company has since worked with Poul Kjærholm and Piet Hein, among others.

A stamp or label under the seat; the year, sometimes the month, appears on labels from the 1950s.

• Furniture
• Egg chair
• Arne Jacobsen