Art Noveau Bentwood Chairs, Early 20th Century, Circa 1905
About the Item
- Creator:Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37.41 in (95 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Vienna Secession (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1905
- Condition:Reupholstered. Refinished.
- Seller Location:Lučenec, SK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9237236601442
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
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 antique Gebrüder Thonet furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Lučenec, Slovakia
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Set of four chairs by Marcel Kammerer for Thonet, circa 1910By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Marcel KammererLocated in Lučenec, SKOne of the creations of designer Marcel Kammerer, manufactured by Gebruder Thonet in Vienna, part of Thonet salon suite Thonet no 6517. This classic desig...Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Early 20th Century Railway Wagon Seats, Set Of 4 - 2 Solo And 2 Double seatsLocated in Lučenec, SKA set of train wagon seats taken from an old, decomissioned train. The seats are padded with faux leather. There are 2 solo seats and 2 double seats in the ...Category
Vintage 1930s Czech Industrial Chairs
MaterialsTin
- Wine Glasses and Decanter, Art Noveau, Mid 20th Century, Set Of 6Located in Lučenec, SKA beautiful and one of a kind set of 6 wine glasses and a decanter. These were a part of a prototype production run, we were able to save only these 6 glasses and the decanter as the...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Art Nouveau Glass
MaterialsArt Glass
- Mid 20th Centurt Art Noveau Set Of 10 Wine GlassesLocated in Lučenec, SKA beautiful and one of a kind set of 10 wine glasses. These were a part of a prototype production run, we were able to save only these 10 pieces...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Art Nouveau Glass
MaterialsArt Glass
- 20th Century Vienna Secession Coffee TableLocated in Lučenec, SKThis is a beautiful coffe table from the Vienna Secessioin period. Alternatively, you can put flower potts on it or as a decorative table at the ante room to your house.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPine
- Early 20th Century Barber ArmchairLocated in Lučenec, SKThis is a beautiful barber chair manufactured by the German company Busser for Laboratoires Willen, Parfumerie Monréve in Basel, Switzerland. The barber chair is fully functional. Th...Category
Vintage 1920s German Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Fischel bentwood café chair, early 20thy centuryBy FischelLocated in Uppsala, SEStunning bentwood chair manufactured by Fischel around turn of the century 1900. Fischel was one of the larges producer of bentwood furniture alongside Thonet and J&J Kohn. The backr...Category
Early 20th Century Czech Vienna Secession Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Edwardian Chair, 20th Century, 1905Located in Lisbon, PTA mahogany english bathtub / fireplace armchair with ties on the legs, arms and front seat rail tapered legs and widely spaced feet, cream brocade fabric with flowers and leaves patt...Category
20th Century English Edwardian Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Art Nouveau Thonet Folding Chair with Bentwood Frame, Early 20th CenturyLocated in Scottsdale, AZArt Nouveau Thonet Folding Chair with Bentwood Frame, Early 20th Century Designed by Gebruder Thonet, early 20th C, Art Nouveau style. Characte...Category
Early 20th Century Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Bentwood Thonet armchair, early 20th centuryBy ThonetLocated in Uppsala, SEBentwood armchair with velvet seat manufactured by Thonet in the early 20th century. Fabric on the seat is most likely original to the chair. Stamped and with original sticker by the...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Birch
- Early 20th Century Viennese Cafe Chairs by Adolf Loos Thonet AustriaBy Adolf LoosLocated in Hyattsville, MDPoor unrestored condition. Secession armchairs, model no. 6150 by Adolf Loos for Thonet, Austria. W 23 x D 22 x H 31.5 in. Arm Height: 25 in. Seat Height: 18.5 in.Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Bentwood Rocking Chair Attributed to Thonet, Early 20th CenturyBy ThonetLocated in Isle Sur La Sorgue, VaucluseClassic Vienna Secession style bentwood rocking chair with embossed wooden seat and back, and beautiful scrolling base. Refinished in glossy black.Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs