Set of Four Mid Century Dining Chairs, Czechoslovakia, 1950´s
View Similar Items
Set of Four Mid Century Dining Chairs, Czechoslovakia, 1950´s
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 17.33 in (44 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)Seat Height: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Prague 8, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3318326477562
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.
- Mid Century Dining Chairs by Jitona, Czechoslovakia, 1970's, Set of 3By JitonaLocated in Prague 8, CZThese upholstered dining chairs were made in the former Czechoslovakia by JITONA company in the 1970´s. These are in good Vintage condition with traces of wear and tear commensurate...Category
Late 20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Beech
$494 Sale Price / set40% Off - Mid Century Dining Chairs by Tatra Nabytok, Czechoslovakia, 1960´s, Set of 2By TatraLocated in Prague 8, CZPair of mid century upholstered dining chairs, made by Tatra nábytok in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1960´s. Beech wo...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Beech
$316 Sale Price / set40% Off - Mid century dining chairs by Radomír Hofman, 1960´s, set of 2By Thonet, Radomír HofmanLocated in Prague 8, CZAn interesting model of mid century upholstered bentwood dining chairs designed by Radomír Hofman for TON Bystrice pod Hostýnem (Thonet successor in Cze...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Bentwood, Plywood
$423 Sale Price / set30% Off - Set of Four Mid Century Dining Chairs, Czechoslovakia, 1960'sLocated in Prague 8, CZMid century upholstered dining chairs, made in Czechoslovakia in the 1960´s. Beech wood, fabric. In good Vintage condition,...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Fabric, Wood
$514 Sale Price / set40% Off - Pair of Midcentury Dining Chairs TON, 1960s, CzechoslovakiaBy ThonetLocated in Prague 8, CZPair of patinated dining chairs from the 1960s. It was made in the former Czechoslovakia. It´s made of beechwood and plywood and has a lacquered seats and backrests. The chairs ar...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Beech, Plywood
$494 Sale Price / set25% Off - Set of Upholstered Walnut Dining Chairs, 1970s, CzechoslovakiaLocated in Prague 8, CZThese beautiful Vintage dining chairs were made in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. It was most likely be TON company – the s...Category
Late 20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
$815 Sale Price / set30% Off
- 1960s Set of Four Frantisek Jirak Dining Chairs, CzechoslovakiaBy Frantisek JirakLocated in Praha, CZ- Newly upholstered - The wooden parts have been refurbishedCategory
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Upholstery
- Set of Four Mid-Century Modern Dining ChairsLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis set of four vintage dining chairs were constructed with sturdy aluminum frames, complete with one piece sculpted feet and tapered back supports. Slightly flared seat backs are u...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$1,120 Sale Price / set25% Off - Mid-Century Modern Vintage Set of Four Beech Chiavari Dining Chairs, 1950sBy ChiavariLocated in Vienna, ATMid Century Modern delightful set of 4 beech dining chairs / chairs with a high backrest was handmade in Italy by Chiavari, 1950s. The four dining chairs feature a turned natural lacquered frame made of solid beech and furthermore a handmade cane...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- 1960s Antonin Suman Set of Four Walnut Dining Chairs, CzechoslovakiaBy Antonín ŠumanLocated in Praha, CZ- Newly upholstered in quality Kirgby Design fabric - Carefully refurbished - Height of seat 44 cmCategory
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Oswald Haerdtl Set of Four Chairs, the 1950sBy Oswald Haerdtl, ThonetLocated in Almelo, NLOswald Haerdtl set of four chairs, the 1950s A rare set of four chairs was designed by the Austrian designer Oswald Haerdtl and produced by Ton (Thonet) in the former Czechoslova...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Beech, Bentwood
$2,450 / set - Harry Bertoia Mid-Century Modern Vintage Set of Four White Dining Chairs, 1950sBy Harry BertoiaLocated in Vienna, ATA Harry Bertoia Mid-Century Modern vintage set of 4 dining chair or side chair, which show a white coated metal construction. This iconic design by Harry Bertoia was designed in the...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal