Disclosed herein is a rotary viscous damper using a magnetic fluid as the damping medium. The damper comprises a permanent magnet rotor enclosed in a magnetically permeable housing. The magnetic fluid fills the space between the rotor and the housing and is held in place using magnetic forces generated by the magnet rotor. The torque of damper may be varied by changing the viscosity of the magnetic fluid or the level of the magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit.