Secession Armchair by Josef Hoffmann (1914), manufactured by Thonet (1919)
View Similar Items
Secession Armchair by Josef Hoffmann (1914), manufactured by Thonet (1919)
About the Item
- Creator:Josef Hoffmann (Designer),Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.86 in (86 cm)Width: 22.05 in (56 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Style:Vienna Secession (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1910-1919
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1919
- Condition:Refinished. Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Wien, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9181238041712
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.
- 2x Original Fledermaus Armchair, Gustav Siegel/Josef Hoffmann, Thonet-MundusBy Thonet-Mundus, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav SiegelLocated in Wien, ATObjekt: Armlehnstuhl (2 Exemplare vorhanden) Entwurf: Gustav Siegel / Josef Hoffmann, Wien um 1905 Modell-Nummer: 728 A (J. & J. Kohn) / 410 (Mundus) Ausführung: Thonet-Mundus, Wien ...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech, Bentwood
- Secession Armchair by Otto Wagner/Gustav Siegel, Thonet Brothers (Vienna, 1905)By Otto Wagner, Gustav Siegel, ThonetLocated in Wien, ATObjekt: Armlehnsessel Entwurf: Gustav Siegel, Wien um 1899 (nicht Otto Wagner, nach Renzi 2018) Modell-Nummer: Modell 6142 (abgeleitet von Modell 714/F von Jacob & Josef Kohn) Ausfüh...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech
- 3x Armlehnstuhl der Secession, Carbaret Fledermaus, J. Hoffmann, Thonet/MundusBy Thonet-Mundus, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav SiegelLocated in Wien, ATObjekt: Armsessel (3 Exemplare vorhanden) Entwurf: Gustav Siegel / Josef Hoffmann, Wien um 1905 Modell-Nummer: 728 A (J.J. Kohn) / 410 (Mundus) Ausführung: Mundus, Wien um 1915 (Erst...Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech, Bentwood
- Secessionistic Armchair by Marcel Kammerer for Thonet Brothers (Vienna, 1910)By Marcel Kammerer, ThonetLocated in Wien, ATObjekt: Armlehnstuhl (4 Stück) Entwurf: Marcel Kammerer (Schule Otto Wagner) zugeschrieben, Wien um 1902 Modell-Nummer: 6517 Ausführung: Gebrüder Thonet, Wien um 1910 Maße in cm (H x...Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood, Fabric
- Art Nouveau Armchair, J. Hoffmann for J.J.Kohn ("Elephant Chair", Vienna, 1910)By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef HoffmannLocated in Wien, ATObjekt: Armlehnstuhl Entwurf: Josef Hoffmann / Fritz Nagel, Wien um 1908 Modell-Nummer: 701/2F ("Elephant Chair") Ausführung: Jacob & Josef Kohn, Wien um 1910 Maße in cm (H x B x T):...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
$6,079 Sale Price30% Off - 4 secessionistic armchairs by Wilhelm Schmidt (Student J. Hoffmann), Vienna 1908By Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Prag-Rudniker Korbwaren-Fabrication, Wilhelm SchmidtLocated in Wien, ATDer Preis bezieht sich auf die fertig restaurierten Stühle (Restaurierungswünsche können gestellt werden) Objekt: Sitzgruppe (4 x Armlehnstuhl) Entwurf: Wilhelm Schmidt / Schule Jos...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Secession Armchair by Josef HoffmannBy Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef HoffmannLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKSecession armchair by Josef Hoffmann professionally stained and repolished. Signed J&J Kohn Teschen Austria.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
$13,193 / set - Armchairs by Josef Hoffmann for Thonet ViennaBy Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood frame, wool fabric upholstery. Designed circa 1900-1910 by Josef Hoffmann for Cabaret Fledermaus in Vienna. Made by Thonet. Set of two.Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
$1,980 / set - Large Secession Armchair by Josef Hoffmann for ThonetBy Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKLarge secession armchair by Josef Hoffmann for Thonet professionally stained and repolished. Marked on the bottom.Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Set of 4 Fledermaus chairs by Josef Hoffmann For ThonetBy Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKSet of 4 Fledermaus chairs by Josef Hoffmann for Thonet in very nice original condition with signs of use. Later limited edition by Thonet Vienna from 1985, signed.Category
Vintage 1980s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech, Bentwood
- 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
$6,046 / set - Armchair Designed by Josef Hofmann Manufactured by Thonet About 1905By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Josef HoffmannLocated in Vienna, ATArmchair designed by Josef Hoffmann stained beechwood for cabaret "Fledermaus" in Vienna circa 1905 with shortened curved armrests, upholstered back and seat, turned supports united by horse-shoe...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood