Danish design brand Republic of Fritz Hansen will relaunch the iconic “Oksen” lounge chair by celebrated designer Arne Jacobsen. As well as the “Ant” and the “Swan,” the Danish designer added another animal-themed seating solution to his range of designs in 1966 with the “Oksen,” which means “bull” in Danish. The design draws inspiration from the animal’s broad shoulders and powerful silhouette.

As well as its innovative outline, this particular chair is unusual in that it was not designed for an architecture project, unlike many of Arne Jacobsen’s creations.

The fruit of several years of experimentation, the chair is celebrated by design fans as a rare piece, due to its short original production period. It also has a squarer, more angular design than Jacobsen’s other seating, which borrowed rounder, more organic shapes from nature.

Head of design at Fritz Hansen, Christian Andersen, said: “To me, the ‘Oksen’ is one of the most distinctive Arne Jacobsen designs and shows the great range of his talent. The precise and almost geometric design of the chair is unique, demonstrating that Jacobsen dared more than others at the time.”

For the reissue, the 2017 “Oksen” sees the backrest lengthened by 5-7 centimeters and the armrests slimmed by 2-3 centimeters. Creating the new design proved a particular challenge for the Fritz Hansen team since no original drawings of the chair remain. As a result, the 2017 design was developed using an “Oksen” museum piece that could not be touched.

The 2017 “Oksen” chair is available in brown or black and has a matching footstool. It goes on sale from October in Fritz Hansen concept stores and selected dealers.