Arne Jacobsen designed the Swan in 1957/58 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Although made from polystyrene like the Egg, the shape of the Swan’s seat shell probably stems from the concept of a plywood chair, as suggested by Jacobsen’s drafts and model studies during the development process of this chair. The incisions between the armrest and the back weaken the shell, but would have been necessary if the shell was made from plywood. The polystyrene would have made a closed seating shell possible, but Jacobsen probably maintained the incision to create the Swan’s characteristic bird- or flower-like appearance. Since the start of production, the basic version of the Swan, which is still sold today, has been available with different variants of a cruciform base in either aluminium or laminated wood. In 1963 a base with a tilt function was added. The height-adjustable office chair with castors shown here was produced from 1958 until the 1970s. During that same period and since 2001, a two-seater version with an aluminium shaker base has also been available.
