Set of Two Caned Thonet Dining Chairs, 1900s
View Similar Items
Set of Two Caned Thonet Dining Chairs, 1900s
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.47 in (85 cm)Width: 17.33 in (44 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1900
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. few white traces on the back chairs.
- Seller Location:LEGNY, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3363310751773
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.
- Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Style Reupholstery Chair, 1900sLocated in LEGNY, FRBeautiful Early 20th century French Louis XVI style chair. Has been reupholstered by an upholsterer professional meticulously with a high quality of fabric made by the French house...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XVI Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 20th Century French Pair of Caned Desk Armchairs, 1900sLocated in LEGNY, FRVery nice 20th century French pair of caned desk armchairs from the 1900s. Fake pair because one is a little bit smaller than the other and the tallest has a maker stamp. The stamp is from a French furniture maker P&R.PROIX 84 rue Blanche IXème - Trud G8.8G. Meubles et sièges pour bureaux et cafés. (French maker for office and Café furniture...Category
20th Century French Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- 19th Century Napoleon III Caned Child ChairLocated in LEGNY, FRBeautiful 19th century French Napoleon III Period child chair made in blackened beech and cane. Used condition.Category
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Chairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- 20th century French Louis XV Walnut and Caned Bench, 1900sLocated in LEGNY, FRVery nice Louis XV style walnut caned bench dating from 1900. Very good condition. Canework in very good condition. Ideal at the end of a bed or in an entryway.Category
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Benches
MaterialsCane, Walnut
- 20th Century French Set of Four Gaston Viort Aluminum Chairs, 1950sBy Gaston ViortLocated in LEGNY, FRVery nice set of four painted aluminum chairs stamped at the back by Gaston Viort in the 1950s for the "Salon de Provence". The chairs has been pai...Category
Vintage 1950s French Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Early 20th Century Vienna Porcelain Set of Tea Cups, 1900sBy Imperial Vienna PorcelainLocated in LEGNY, FRBeautiful set of two tea cups and saucers made by the Vienna porcelain manufacture. Pretty romantic decoration on each cup (both are different). Gilded with gold leaf details. Stam...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 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
- 1900s French Oak Dining Chairs, Set of SixLocated in High Point, NCThis set of six turn of the century dining chairs combines a graceful shape with a beautiful patina. Made in France, the design takes...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Country Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- 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
- Set of Four Thonet Bentwood Cafe Dining Chairs RomaniaBy ThonetLocated in Port Jervis, NYSet of 4 very sturdy and tight bentwood sweetheart chairs by Thonet and crafted in Romania. Brown vinyl seat seat covering that can be changed easi...Category
Vintage 1960s Romanian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Naugahyde
- Thonet 209 Cane Bentwood Chairs After Thonet 209, 1950sBy ThonetLocated in Mombuey, ZamoraThey are in very good condition, ready to use. Very good structure and seat shaft. The chairs after Thonet is from the years 1950s The 6 chairs are in very good condition, ready to...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Bentwood
- 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