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Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Rocking Chairs

Austrian, German

For more than 180 years, Thonet — or Gebrüder Thonet — has produced elegant and durable tables and cabinets as well as chairsstools 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 AaltoArne 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 WagnerMarcel 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-LautrecJohn 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 PicassoPierre-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.

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Creator: Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Rocking Chair 7014 by Michael Thonet for Thonet
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
This old authentic rocking chair was designed Michael Thonet and manufactured by Thonet. It was in the catalogue of 1904. It is a design classic. This brown rocking chair...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Rocking Chairs

Materials

Bentwood

Gebruder Thonet Bentwood Rocking Chaise Lounge Chair
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Chicago, IL
Gebruder Thonet bentwood rocking chaise lounge chair Scarcely seen model no. 7500. Designed 1880-1883. This model appears to be stamped JJ...
Category

20th Century Art Nouveau Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Rocking Chairs

Materials

Wood

Thonet Rocking Chair, Model Number 511, Vienna Secession, circa 1904
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Thonet rocking chair, model number 511. Vienna Secession, circa 1904.
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Rocking Chairs

Materials

Bentwood, Beech, Rattan

Rare Antique Thonet Art Nouveau Swing Rocking Chair 7401
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Norwich, GB
Rare Art Nouveau period Thonet swing chair, model 7401. Circa 1905. Faint stamp - Thonet Austria. The chair was probably blackened at some point, and considering the wear on the fi...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Rocking Chairs

Materials

Cane, Beech

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Gebrüder Thonet Vienna Gmbh rocking chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH rocking chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH rocking chairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original rocking chairs by Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH were created in the Art Nouveau style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider rocking chairs by and Michael Thonet. Prices for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH rocking chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,031 and can go as high as $15,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,304.

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