Rare Thonet Deck Chair Model 480, circa 1930
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer),Hans & Wassili Luckhardt (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 48.43 in (123 cm)Width: 25.99 in (66 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1930
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- 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: Wilnis, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Easy Chair Model "KS46" by Anton Lorenz for Thonet, Germany, circa 1980By Anton Lorenz, ThonetLocated in Amsterdam, NLRare easy chair model "KS46" designed by Anton Lorenz circa 1950, manufactured by Thonet in Germany, circa 1980. The beautifully designed base of the chair is made of chrome metal...Category
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Metal
- Airport Chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, circa 1960By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Amsterdam, NLStunning "Airport" chair by Arne Jacobsen, manufactured by Fritz Hansen in Denmark, circa 1960. The chair has high quality chrome metal base and yellow or green fabric upholstery....Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Metal
- Set of Two Bauhaus Prototype Dining Chairs, circa 1930Located in Amsterdam, NLAmazing set of two rare Bauhaus prototype dining chairs, manufactured around 1930. These beautifully crafted chairs have a metal base with woven rattan seats and backrests. One of...Category
Vintage 1930s German Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Office/Side Chair Attributed to Toshiyuki Kita for Tendo, Japan, circa 1960By Toshiyuki Kita, Tendo MokkoLocated in Amsterdam, NLRare desk or side chair, attributed to Toshiyuki Kita, manufactured by Tendo Mokko in Japan, circa 1960. These eye-catching chairs are made from beautiful quality birch plywood with a new green velvet upholstery, giving them an eye-catching appearance. A unique find and a beautiful example of Japanese design. Labeled TENDO underneath. In excellent condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a wonderful patina. Toshiyuki Kita (喜多 俊之?) is a furniture and product designer. He was born an 1942, in Osaka, Japan. He graduated from the University of Osaka.[1] He has established design offices in both Japan and Italy. His earliest pieces, the Wink Chair and the Kick Table are currently in the permanent collections of the New York City Museum of Modern Art and Hamburg, Germany's Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe. His most notable recent works include Sharp's Aquos line of LCD televisions and the K10 Dodo recliner. He has also done a considerable amount of work with massage chair...Category
Vintage 1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPlywood, Birch
- 1950s “model 412” easy chair for Gispen, NetherlandsBy GispenLocated in Amsterdam, NLA lovely easy chair from the Netherlands, manufactured by Gispen and designed by W.H. Gispen around 1950. This chair, model “412”, is an iconic Dutch design and highly recognizable ...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Pierre Paulin Lounge Chair for Artifort, Netherlands 1950By Pierre Paulin, ArtifortLocated in Amsterdam, NLA rare model lounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin, manufactured by Artifort in the Netherlands around 1960. This eye-catching piece has a beautiful elegant style. The seat is ni...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Super Slick Pair of Thonet ChairsBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYPair of Thonet tub chairs in great original condition. We believe they are upholstered in leather, however it's possible the upholstery is actually vi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Eberhard Krauss, Rare Armchair Model A 821 F for Thonet, 1930By ThonetLocated in Uppsala, SERare armchair / lounge chair designed by Eberhard Krauss for Thonet in 1930 for the exhibition "Thonet Werkbund" in Vienna. This model is sometimes also wrongly attributed to Adolf S...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsRattan, Birch
- Set of Four Cantilevered Chairs Thonet Bauhaus Model ST14 by Hans LuckhardtBy Hans & Wassili Luckhardt, ThonetLocated in Dronten, NLThis hard to find set of 4 Thonet chairs, model ST 14, represents the modernist idea of the Bauhaus in an elegant way. Designed in 1931 for DESTA Berlin, later Thonet, Hans Luckhardt...Category
Mid-20th Century German Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Transat Deck Chair Patio Lounger, French, circa 1960Located in Labrit, LandesFrench deck chair or lounger chair, circa 1960 Painted elm, resin and iron For patio or garden Folded dimensions p 26.38 in. (67 cm) x w 37.40 in. (95 c...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Thonet Pair of Chairs in Cherry and Burgundy UpholsteryBy ThonetLocated in Waalwijk, NLThonet, pair of chairs, cherry, fabric, Austria, 1950s This pair of chairs has a splendid construction that epitomizes a simplistic, natural and timeless aesthetics. The design is c...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Art Deco Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Cherry
- Pair of Lounge Chairs, Black Leather Chrome, Attributed to Thonet, 1970By ThonetLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA set of two leather and chrome or nickel lounge chairs attributed to Thonet, Austria, circa 1970 (late 1960s or early 1970s). They are made of a high quality and thick black leather...Category
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome