Unique Armchair Thonet B 1045, since 1938
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.75 in (73 cm)Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)Depth: 27.56 in (70 cm)Seat Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)
- Style:Bauhaus (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1938
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Praha, CZ
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Litoměřice, Czech Republic
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Dagoberts Armchair by Thonet, since 1888By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZNew leather upholstery, wooden structure in very good original condition.Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Chair Thonet Nr.223, since 1901By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZOriginal state. Perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish. New upholstery surface on the original core.Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Belle Époque Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Chair Thonet Nr.32, since 1883By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZFirm and compact, perfectly cleaned and polished with shellac. The seat, originally woven with pedig, was replaced by a more durable plywood with art nouveau decor. This chair appear...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Renaissance Revival Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Wall Hanger Thonet Nr.1, since 1880By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZOriginal state with a pleasant patine of age, perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish.Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBentwood
- Four Chairs Thonet Nr.651, Since 1907By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZOriginal state with a pleasant patina of age, perfectly cleaned and repolished with shellac. One backrest has a crack (fixed with injected glue). Despite the crack, the backrest is f...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Belle Époque Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Chair Kohn Nr.321, since 1906, ThonetBy Jacob & Josef Kohn, ThonetLocated in Praha, CZOriginal state. Perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish. New upholstery surface on the original core.Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Empire Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Thonet 1930s Cantilever Armchair in the Style of Erich Dieckmann, Gilbert RhodeBy Thonet, Gilbert RohdeLocated in London, GBAttributed to Thonet, Bauhaus 1930s tubular steel cantilever armchair in the style of Erich Dieckmann or Gilbert Rhode.Category
Mid-20th Century European Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 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
- Thonet S 411 Tubular Steel Cantilever Armchair, Germany, circa 1935By ThonetLocated in Berlin, DEThonet S 411 tubular steel cantilever armchair with fabric upholstery, designed by the Thonet Company in 1932. This original tubular steel cantilever armch...Category
Vintage 1930s German Streamlined Moderne Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Thonet Chrome Tubular Steel Armchairs, Leather Upholstery, Customisable, c. 1935By ThonetLocated in Berlin, DEThonet S 411 tubular steel cantilever armchairs in leather upholstery, designed and manufactured by Thonet, c. 1935. This original tubular steel cantil...Category
Vintage 1930s German Streamlined Moderne Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- 1970's Mid-Century Modern Thonet Chrome Armchairs - Set of FourBy ThonetLocated in Burbank, CAVintage Mid-century Modern lounge chairs for sale. They are original Thonet chairs designed by Anton Lorenz, and have the original upholstery. The chro...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Thonet S411 Tubular Steel Cantilever Armchair, Black Leather Upholstery, c. 1935By ThonetLocated in Berlin, DEThonet S 411 tubular steel cantilever armchair with leather upholstery, designed by the Thonet Company c. 1935. This original tubular steel cantilever ...Category
Vintage 1930s German Streamlined Moderne Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome