Pair of Designed Thonet Bentwood Upholstered Armchairs by Henry Glass
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer),Henry Glass (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Van Nuys, CA
- Reference Number:
Thonet
For more than 180 years, Thonet — or Gebrüder Thonet — has produced elegant and durable tables and cabinets as well as chairs, stools and other seating that wholly blur the lines between art and design. Widely known as a trailblazer in the use of bentwood in furniture, the European manufacturer has reimagined the places in which we gather.
Noted for his skill in parquetry, German-Austrian company founder Michael Thonet received an invitation from Austrian Chancellor Prince Metternich to contribute Neo-Rococo interiors to the Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna. The Boppard-born Thonet had honed his carpentry skills in his father’s workshop, where he carried out experiments with plywood and modified the Biedermeier chairs that populated the studio.
Thonet’s work for the chancellor raised his profile, and the cabinetmaker gained international recognition, including at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, which featured works created by members of the Arts and Crafts movement as well as industrial products of the day. Thonet showed a range of furniture at the fair and won the bronze medal for his bentwood chairs. He incorporated his family’s company, the Thonet Brothers, with his sons in 1853.
Bentwood furniture dates as far back as the Middle Ages, but it is the 19th-century cabinetmaker Thonet who is most often associated with this now-classic technique. Thonet in 1856 patented a method for bending solid wood through the use of steam, and from there, the bentwood look skyrocketed to furniture fame. The works of renowned mid-century modern designers such as Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, and Charles and Ray Eames that put this technological advancement to use would not be as extensive or celebrated were it not for the efforts of the pioneering Thonet.
Considered the world’s oldest mass-produced chair, Michael Thonet’s ubiquitous Chair No. 14 demonstrated that his patented bentwood technology made it possible to efficiently produce furniture on an industrial scale. Now known as the 214, it won the German Sustainability Award Design for 2021, a recognition of the company’s commitment to environmentally responsible production.
Often called the Coffee House chair — the company’s first substantial order was for a Viennese coffeehouse — the No. 14 remains an icon. Thonet originally designed the chair in 1859, and it is considered the starting point for modern furniture.
The bentwood process opened doors — there were investments in machinery and new industrial processes, and the business began mass-producing furniture. By the end of the 1850s, there were additional Thonet workshops in Eastern Europe and hundreds of employees. Michael Thonet’s reputation attracted the attention of notable architects including Otto Wagner, Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
The No. 14 was followed by the No. 18, or the Bistro chair, in 1867, and the 209, or the Architect’s chair, of which Le Corbusier was a fan. (The influential Swiss-French architect and designer used Thonet furniture in his Pavillon de l’Esprit Nouveau at the 1925 International Exposition of Decorative Arts in Paris.)
Thonet’s chair designs also appeared in artwork by Toulouse-Lautrec, John Sloan and Henri Matisse in his Interior with a Violin Case. The noteworthy Thonet rocking chair remains a marvel of construction — in the middle of the 19th century, Michael produced a series of rockers in which the different curved parts were integrated into fluid, sinuous wholes. Thanks to Thonet, the humble rocker acquired something unexpected: style. It was captured in the paintings of Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and James Tissot.
Thonet is currently split into global divisions. Thonet Industries U.S.A. was acquired in 1987 by Shelby Williams and joined the CF Group in 1999, while the Thonet brand in Germany is owned by Thonet GmbH.
Find a collection of antique Thonet furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Van Nuys, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Thonet Bentwood Armchair with Purple SeatBy ThonetLocated in Van Nuys, CAThis elegant 1950s lounge chair by Thonet features undulating blond bentwood arms and continues seat. The chair has been professionally recovered in period Purple.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Midcentury Thonet Bent Plywood Armchairs by Joe Atkinson, Set of 5By Thonet, Joe AtkinsonLocated in Van Nuys, CASet of five bent plywood armchair dining chairs Designed by Joe Atkinson for the Thonet furniture company. Each chair features a bent wood construction wi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Dining Room Sets
MaterialsBentwood
- Chrome Round Tubular Armchair by Royal MetalBy Royal Metal Co.Located in Van Nuys, CAMade by royal metal manufacturing, this elegant modernist tubular armchair set features two heavily made chromed round tubular frames with or...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Restored Rattan Dining Armchair W/ Twisted Rattan Arms, Set of 4Located in Van Nuys, CASet of four vintage rattan dining chairs with unique twisted stick rattan arms on a pole rattan frame and white fabric seats. 1980, United States We only purchase and sell only the b...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsRattan
- Michael Van Beuren Easy Rocking Chair, Pair for DomusLocated in Van Nuys, CAPair of Michael van Beuren designed "Easy" rocking chairs feature a sinuous crescent-shaped form supported by an angular frame. Each wood slat is attached to the frame using decorati...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Plycraft Chairs by Norman ChernerBy Norman ChernerLocated in Van Nuys, CAThis is a set of 4 colorful chairs designed by Norman Cherner for Plycraft. Each chair is painted in its own unique color: red, green, blue, and yellow....Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Midcentury Thonet Bentwood Upholstered ChairBy ThonetLocated in Doylestown, PAMidcentury Thonet bentwood upholstered chair. Single chair with Classic midcentury design with bentwood base. Neutral cream Naugah...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsNaugahyde, Wood, Bentwood
- Vienna Secession Thonet Bentwood ArmchairBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYA Vienna secession Thonet bentwood armchair #511. Stained beechwood with an upholstered seat.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Set of 6, Mid Century Cow Hide Upholstered Bentwood Chairs by Thonet, 1950sBy ThonetLocated in Basel, BSThese make an incredible opportunity for a complete rare hard to find set of beautiful early American Made, Mid Century Thonet chairs after Eames. Stunning, very cool authentic Bruno Weil...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBentwood, Cowhide
- Bentwood Armchair by Thonet, Beech and Fabric, 1930sBy ThonetLocated in Brussels, BEBentwood armchair by Thonet, Beech and Fabric, 1930s Europe.Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Nouveau Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Pair of Bentwood High Back Dining Chairs by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Saarbruecken, DEPair of beech bentwood high back dining chairs. Signed by Thonet, 1987. Style Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau. New upholstery, same fabric, differe...Category
Vintage 1980s Austrian Hollywood Regency Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Pair of French Bentwood Thonet Style ArmchairsLocated in Winter Park, FLA pair of French Thonet style bentwood armchairs made of beechwood with turned legs and spindle back. Original red vinyl seat and armrests with nailhead trim.Category
Mid-20th Century French Arts and Crafts Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Beech