The Swan was designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen in 1958 and was introduced at the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen in 1960. The armchair is manufactured using the same technology as the Egg, where the shell is constructed from moulded cold foam with fibreglass reinforcement. The upholstery is available in a wide selection of fabrics and leathers. The Swan has a rotatable base in satin-polished steel with a foot in moulded and satin-polished aluminium.

The design language consists of rounded lines, where the sculptural shape of the shell is reminiscent of the silhouette of a swan. This complemented the horizontal and vertical lines of the SAS Royal Hotel. The technique Jacobsen used to achieve the curved shell of the Swan and the Egg was considered very advanced and revolutionary for its time. The Swan is also available as a two-seater sofa in the same design language.

SAS Royal Hotel opened in 1960 and was the world's first design hotel, also Denmark's first skyscraper. Arne Jacobsen was responsible for the full design concept down to the smallest detail, from the outdoor facade and the furniture to the cutlery in the restaurant. SAS Royal Hotel has therefore come to be called Jacobsen's masterpiece, where several Danish design icons were introduced, which put Danish design on the world map.