Set of 8 German Mid Century Bentwood Chairs 1950 signed Thonet
View Similar Items
Set of 8 German Mid Century Bentwood Chairs 1950 signed Thonet
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 15.36 in (39 cm)Depth: 14.97 in (38 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 8
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Saarbruecken, DE
- Reference Number:Seller: 2014010121stDibs: LU100481034284
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.
- Midcentury Set of 5 Thonet High Back Bentwood Dining ChairsBy ThonetLocated in Saarbruecken, DESet of 5 !!!!! Thonet high back bentwood beech chairs. Solid and stabile. Signed. Fabric can be changed easily.Category
Vintage 1980s German Mid-Century Modern Dining Room 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
- 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
- Mid-Century Set of Leather Brutalist Armchair sofa Stool Table by Angel PazminoLocated in Saarbruecken, DEMid-Century living room Set by Angel Pazmino, Arentinia 1960s. Top vintage condition. solid and stable. leather soft, no damages. restaurated, wood and leather polished 2 Armchair...Category
Vintage 1960s Argentine Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Pair of Midcentury Bentwood Chairs Carlo Ratti for Legni Curvi, Italy, 1950sBy Carlo RattiLocated in Saarbruecken, DETwo beautiful original Carlo Ratti bentwood chairs, manufactured by his company Industria Legni Curvati, based in Lissone, Milan. New upholstered with a two-tone fabric.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Bentwood
- Mid-Century Set of 4 Dining Kitchen Chairs, Vinyl Chrome, Italy 1960sLocated in Saarbruecken, DEMid-Century Dining Kitchen Chairs, Vinyl Chrome, Italy 1960s. solid and stable, chrome in good condition. vinyl with some signs of wear. easy to...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Set of 4 1960s Mid-Century Thonet B 751 Wood Folding ChairsBy ThonetLocated in Carimate, ComoI offer a set of four folding chairs model B751 designed at the beginning of the 20th century by Thonet, manufactured in the early 1960s at the Thonet factory in Radomsko (central Po...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of 1960s Mid-Century Thonet B 751 Wood Folding ChairsBy ThonetLocated in Carimate, ComoPair of folding chairs model B751 designed at the beginning of the 20th century by Thonet, manufactured in the early 1960s at the Thonet factory in Radomsko (central Poland). Chairs ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- 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
- Le Corbusier for Thonet Mid Century Bentwood Dining Chairs, Set of 6By Le Corbusier, ThonetLocated in Countryside, ILLe Corbusier for Thonet mid century bentwood dining chairs - Set of 6 Each chair measures: 21 wide x 22 deep x 31 high, with a seat height of 19 i...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- Unique Set of 6 Mid-Century Bentwood Dining Chairs Thonet Josef HoffmannBy Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMid century vintage Thonet Josef Hoffmann style Bentwood Blonde wood chairs with curved back - Set of matching 6 in original condition with amazing Condition. Wooden seat with vertic...Category
Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBentwood, Wood
$2,700 Sale Price / set25% Off - Italian Mid-Century Black and Green Color Dining Chairs, Set of Six, 1950sLocated in Traversetolo, ITElegant lines and solid structures for this stunning set of six dining chairs, recently restored. The structure is made of black lacquered walnut. They have been reupholstered in stain-resistant green color microfibre fabric. This set, designed in 1950, is an excellent example of Italian design of the era. You can also purchase his stylish dining table.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsWalnut