Thonet Bentwood Chairs, 1930s, Set of 2
View Similar Items
Thonet Bentwood Chairs, 1930s, Set of 2
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.52 in (77.5 cm)Width: 22.05 in (56 cm)Depth: 21.26 in (54 cm)Seat Height: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some slight discolouration due to age. Various dents and scratch marks to the frame and a few paint marks on the back of the legs.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: DC000601stDibs: LU4510227035012
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.
- Italian Giancarlo Piretti for Castelli Plia Plastic Dining Chairs, Set of 2By Giancarlo Piretti, CastelliLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Giancarlo Piretti for Catelli in 1967, the Plia chair was introduced at the Fiera del Mobile in Milan and since then has become ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Futurist Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$528 Sale Price / set30% Off - Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA Black Leather Sabrina Dining Chairs, 1970s, Set of 4By RIMA, Gastone RinaldiLocated in London, GBRIMA was founded in 1920, specialising in manufacturing metal furniture and Gastone Rinaldi took over the company from his father in 1948 becoming the designer. Many of his designs r...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Futurist Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$1,775 Sale Price / set30% Off - Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen FH4103 Beech & Teak Heart Chairs, Set of 6By Hans J. Wegner, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Hans Wegner in the 1950s, the FH4103 was manufactured by Fritz Hansen and sold in London by Story’s of Kensington. Constructed from beech and teak wood, the...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Teak
- Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Plywood DCW Dining Chairs, 1950s Set of 2By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in London, GBThe DCW chair was originally released in 1946, with Herman Miller taking over the manufacture of the chairs in 1950. This lasted until 1953 when the chairs were taken out of producti...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Kai Kristiansen Rosewood No 42 Dining Chairs with Paul Smith Fabric, Set of 2By Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, Paul SmithLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Kai Kristiansen in 1956 and manufactured by Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, the No 42 chair is one of the most well known designs in mid century Danish furniture...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRosewood, Fabric
$2,869 Sale Price / set30% Off - Hans Wegner Midcentury Armchairs for GETAMA, Set of FourBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBDesigned by Hans J. Wegner for GETAMA, this set of four GE 151 armchairs are a Classic example of Mid-Century Modern design. Featuring angular black painted beechwood frames and arms, the newly restored chairs...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Set of 2 Bentwood Cafe Chairs Attributed to ThonetBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYNice set of 2 dining, or cafe, chairs in bentwood and upholstery, attributed to Thonet. Clean ready to use condition, seats in later vinyl upholstery. No breaks or structural damage,...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- 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
- Set of 8 Bentwood Caning Chairs by Thonet, Austria 1930sBy ThonetLocated in Brussels, BESet of 8 bentwood caning chairs by Thonet - Austria 1930s.Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- 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