Pair of Black Lacquer Armchairs by Josef Hoffman
View Similar Items
Pair of Black Lacquer Armchairs by Josef Hoffman
About the Item
- Creator:Josef Hoffmann (Designer),Thonet (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)Seat Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Bentwood,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU938010968301
Josef Hoffmann
The Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann was a central figure in the evolution of modern design, and a leader in an aesthetic movement born in Europe in the late 19th century that rejected florid, extravagant ornamentation in favor of a new emphasis on simplicity of line.
As a founder of the Vienna Secession — a union of artists and designers determined to upend Austria’s artistic conservatism — and later, a founder of the turn-of-the-century Wiener Werkstätte (in English: the Viennese Workshops), a design cooperative that produced superbly crafted furniture and housewares, Hoffmann was a pioneering practitioner of what would become a fundamental principle of modernism: that good design is a way of life.
Hoffmann came of age amidst a shift in the culture of the applied arts, as a conservative order that looked only to the past for inspiration was pushed aside. But what, exactly, would replace that order was in question — and Hoffmann’s career embodies the developing patterns of design’s new spirit. His architectural work reflects his time as a student of the Vienna architect Otto Wagner, who disdained excessive decoration and employed new materials such as steel girders and reinforced concrete to create buildings with airy, open interiors full of light.
As a designer of furniture and interiors, Hoffmann was consistently open-minded about the aesthetics he explored. He was an early adherent of the flowing, organic forms of the Art Nouveau design movement that began to flourish in the late 1880s — but by the opening of the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903, Hoffmann’s designs embraced the beauty of geometry in pieces that feature grids and angular forms.
Hoffmann’s greatest works reflect his ability to combine seemingly conflicting design visions into coherent wholes. His architectural masterpiece, the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, has an exterior that groups together simple geometric forms and spacious interiors marked by subtly naturalistic design details that lend rooms an air of charm and geniality.
Hoffmann’s signature furniture design is an adjustable lounge chair — the Sitzmaschine (1905) — that marries a curving frame with square and rectangular back- and side rests. This piece, like so many others by Hoffmann, reflects a groundbreaking, forward-thinking appreciation for the union of different looks and sources that marks the best of interior design in our own day. Moreover, items offered on 1stDibs — which range from enameled silver jewelry, to silver flower vase baskets and other decorative objects, to sofas, lighting pendants and sconces — testify to the astonishing breadth of Hoffman’s creative pursuits. He was truly a giant of design.
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.
- White Lacquer and Gold Rams Head Armchair by Enrique GarcelBy Enrique GarcelLocated in Palm Springs, CA1980’s white lacquered armchair with gold rams head details, designed by Colombian designer Enrique Garcel. The seat is newly recovered with a so...Category
Vintage 1980s Colombian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Wood, Lacquer
- Pair of Toad Leather Patchwork ArmchairsLocated in Palm Springs, CAGlamorous 1980’s pair of toad leather patchwork arm chairs. Constructed of wood covered with toad leather and lacquered, the seat is off white leather. ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
$3,200 / set - Pair of Italian Brass Carved Wooden Leaf Armchairs by Bartolozzi and MaioliBy Bartolozzi & MaioliLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of spectacular hand carved wooden leaf armchairs design by Bartolozzi and Maioli in the 1970s. The chairs are sprayed powder brass with o...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair Sculpted Acrylic ArmchairsBy Hill ManufacturingLocated in Palm Springs, CA1970s sculpted acrylic armchairs, newly professionally polished and reupholstered in a natural linen with a metallic silver sheen. They do have some stress marks where the arylic was...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAcrylic, Linen
- Aluminum and Steel Postmodern ArmchairLocated in Palm Springs, CAA spectacular Italian Postmodern sculptural armchair from the 1980s. The black part of the chair is powder coated steel and the seat and back is satin aluminum. There is minor wear ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Pair of Lacquered and Leather Asia Style Barstools by Marge CarsonBy Marge CarsonLocated in Palm Springs, CAA glamorous pair of faux granite lacquered Asian Style barstools design by Marge Carson in the 1980s. The stools are constructed of wood that’s painted in black and gray faux granite...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Fledermaus Armchairs No.423 by Josef HoffmannBy Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKFledermaus armchairs no.423 by Josef Hoffmann in very good original condition with signs of usage.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech
$6,025 / set - Set of Four Josef Frank/Hoffman Bentwood Prague 811 ChairsBy Josef Hoffmann, ThonetLocated in Rio Vista, CAMid-Century Modern set of four bentwood beech armchairs designed by Austrian architects Josef Frank and Josef Hoffman for Thonet. Each chair s...Category
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Beech, Bentwood
- 4 Classic Bauhaus Armchairs 6010 Designed by Josef Hoffmann/ Oswald HaerdtlBy Josef Hoffmann, Oswald HaerdtlLocated in Mombuey, Zamora*Consult shipping price, personalized, we will give you the quote as soon as possible In original condition,, Very good conditions. Painted molded plywood and beechwood Josef Hoffmann bentwood cane dining armchairs, Set of four designed for Classic Bauhaus Side Chairs 6010 Designed by Josef Hoffmann/ Oswald Haerdtl Josef Hoffmann was an architect and designer. Austria (December 15, 1870-May 7, 1956). Thonet Chairs The MOMA exhibits...Category
Mid-20th Century Polish Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsBentwood, Plywood, Beech
- Josef Hoffmann / Otto Prutscher Attr. Chairs, Pair ofBy Woka Lamps, Josef Hoffmann, Otto PrutscherLocated in Vienna, ATVery elegant and comfortable chairs attributed to Josef Hoffmann or Otto Prutscher. Has been rennovated over a while, the fabric is partly stained. Can be sold separately.Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Art Nouveau Thonet Armchairs by Josef Hoffmann, White Lacquered, AT ca. 1905By Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in Lichtenberg, ATFantastic pair of white Art Nouveau Thonet armchairs from the period around 1905 in Austria. The timeless design of this iconic Art Nouveau armchairs comes from the pen of no other t...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Bentwood
- 20th Century Armchair by Koloman Moser/Josef Hoffmann for Wiener WerkstätteBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Vigonza, PaduaEarly 20th century Austrian Art Nouveau Belle Époque chair, armchair, atributable Koloman Moser/Josef Hoffmann for Wiener Werkstätte in mahogany, re...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Belle Époque Armchairs
MaterialsMahogany