Set of Two Thonet Armchairs, "1930"
View Similar Items
Set of Two Thonet Armchairs, "1930"
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 22.84 in (58 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Bauhaus (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930-1939
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Ceske Mezirici, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3665313724241
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.
- Beechwood Armchairs Thonet B974, 1930´s, Czechoslovakia, Set of 2By ThonetLocated in Prague 8, CZThese Art Deco armchairs (cataloque No. B974) were made by Thonet in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1930’s. Made of bent beechwood and upholstery. They are in good Vintage co...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Beech, Bentwood, Fabric
$615 Sale Price / set49% Off - Josef Frank A 63/F Armchairs for Thonet, 1930sBy Thonet, Josef FrankLocated in PRAHA 5, CZPair of rare modernist armchairs first showcased at the Vienna Werkbund exhibition in 1928. Crafted from solid beech (bentwood) and plywood, adorned with a brown lacquer coating, th...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsBeech
$4,716 / set - Bauhaus Cantilever Armchair Set of 2 Thonet Muecke MelderBy ThonetLocated in Chemnitz, SNObject: cantilever chair - Bauhaus fabric Time: around 1935 Style: Bauhaus Manufacturer: Mücke Melder Restored tubular steel chair, made in...Category
Vintage 1930s Czech Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Thonet Pair of "S411" Chrome Bauhaus Cantilever Armchairs, 1930sBy ThonetLocated in Praha 2, Hlavní město PrahaPair of Bauhaus chrome-plated tubular steel cantilever armchairs, model S411, manufactured by Thonet in Germany, 1930s. These iconic S411 cantilever armchairs have a sleek, modern l...Category
Vintage 1930s German Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Rare Salon Armchairs Nr. 14 by Thonet, Set of TwoBy ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood frame with upholstered sear and backrest. Made by Thonet Austria, circa 1900. Restored, suitable bench in other listing available.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Thonet Office Armchair in Oak, Czechoslovakia, circa 1930sBy ThonetLocated in Zohor, SKThis beautiful office chair was produced by Thonet company. Original burnt in label still slightly visible in the bottom of the chair (see pictures). Made of strong oak wood and plyw...Category
Vintage 1930s Czech Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsOak, Plywood
$659 Sale Price51% Off