Antique Bentwood Chair No 14 by Thonet 19th Century Art Nouveau
View Similar Items
Antique Bentwood Chair No 14 by Thonet 19th Century Art Nouveau
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37.01 in (94 cm)Width: 20.87 in (53 cm)Length: 37.01 in (94 cm)Seat Height: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Style:Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Beech,Machine-Made
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1890
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Stow on the Wold, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3784120005892
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.
- Bentwood Chair with arms Model No 14 Art Nouveau Chair Thonet Austria 1890By ThonetLocated in Stow on the Wold, GBWonderful bentwood chair, produced by Thonet, this design originally dates from 1859. Made from bent solid and laminated Beech construction with moulded plywood seat. This chair date...Category
Antique 1890s Austrian Aesthetic Movement Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Antique Extra Large Windsor Country Chair 19th Century Ash and Sycamore EnglishLocated in Stow on the Wold, GBA very large English country Windsor chair from the 19th Century. Very large proportions, wonderful turned bulbous legs and double stretcher detail. Sycamore arms and back rest, ...Category
Antique 19th Century English Rustic Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Sycamore
- 19th Century E W Godwin Mahogany Bow Back Chair William WattBy Edward William Godwin, William WattLocated in Stow on the Wold, GBAn exceptional Bow back corner chair dating from the 1870s attributed to E W Godwin, probably made by William Watt. Very well constructed Bow chair with circular seat and bobbin turn...Category
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- 1950s Black and Walnut Dining Chair in the Style of Imari TapiovaaraBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Stow on the Wold, GBVery good quality dining chair in the style of Imari Tapiovaara. Designed in the 1950s. Ebonized beech legs and back spindles and walnut veneered seats. In good vintage condition, v...Category
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut, Plywood
- 1950s Black and Walnut Dining Chair in the Style of Imari TapiovaaraBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Stow on the Wold, GBVery good quality dining chair in the style of Imari Tapiovaara. Designed in the 1950s. Ebonized beech legs and back spindles and walnut veneered seats. In good vintage condition, v...Category
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut, Plywood
- Bentwood Office Chair Model Number 704 J J Kohn For Thonet 1900s Jacob JosephBy Jacob & Josef Kohn, ThonetLocated in Stow on the Wold, GBWonderful bentwood chair, designed by Jacob and Joseph Kohn, Austria and produced by Thonet, dates from the early 1900s. Model Number 704 Retains the original embossed seat with won...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Aesthetic Movement Side Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Arts and Craft Art Nouveau Set of 8 Bentwood Chairs Signed Thonet, 1900By ThonetLocated in Saarbruecken, DESet of 8 Thonet chairs, bentwood with viennese braid. all signed. As found condition. All chairs a solid and stable. 4 of the braids are perf...Category
Antique Early 1900s Spanish Art Nouveau Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBentwood, Braid
- Vintage Thonet No. 14 Bentwood and Cane Café Side Chairs with Cane SeatsBy ThonetLocated in Los Angeles, CAThonet No. 14 bentwood and cane cafe chairs. In original condition with visible wear consistent with its age and use. Sold individually $550 each.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Bentwood
- Art Nouveau Bentwood Salonfauteuil Easy Chair / Armchair Thonet No. 1 circa 1890By Thonet, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in Lucenec, SKVery rare antique Thonet easy chair no 1 produced by Gebruder Thonet from the late 19th century in a very good condition. New upholstery. Last picture is from Gebruder Thonet catalogue...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood, Upholstery
$1,935 Sale Price20% Off - Set of 4 Antique vintage Dining Cafe Cane Bentwood Chairs by ThonetBy Thonet, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in BROOKLYN, NYSet of (4) Antique vintage cane seat cafe chairs by Thonet gebrüder. model No. 18 chairs. They are in original condition with nice patina. The dark Brown Walnut wood has been oiled s...Category
Vintage 1940s Polish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Wood
- 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
- Art-Deco Thonet Bentwood Leather Dining Chairs with Walnut Finish - Set of SixBy ThonetLocated in Los Angeles, CAElevate your dining experience with this exquisite set of six Thonet bentwood dining chairs, featuring two armchairs and four ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Art Nouveau Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Lacquer, Wood, Polyester, Foam, Leather, Bentwood
$3,100 Sale Price / set20% Off