Row of Four Bentwood Viennese Theatre Chairs by Thonet, circa 1907
View Similar Items
Row of Four Bentwood Viennese Theatre Chairs by Thonet, circa 1907
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36 in (91.44 cm)Width: 84 in (213.36 cm)Depth: 23 in (58.42 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1907
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1484213486562
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.
- Bentwood Bench by Thonet, Austria, 1900sBy ThonetLocated in Brussels, BEBentwood bench by Thonet, Austria, 1900s.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Benches
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Art Nouveau Theatre Seats Row of Five Chairs, circa 1910Located in Evergreen, COThe rosewood and maple marquetry in the back rests and seats of this row of theatre seats from Belgium is exquisite. All five flip-down seats are back waited, which brings the seats to their upright position. We have seen many wood theatre seats...Category
Early 20th Century Belgian Art Nouveau Benches
MaterialsMaple, Rosewood, Walnut
- Otto Wagner Settee Bench Bentwood, Thonet, Austria, Vienna Secession, circa 1905By Thonet, Otto WagnerLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA Vienna Secession bentwood settee by Otto Wagner and manufactured by Thonet, Austria, circa 1900. This settee is an authentic piece which is in great original condition with nice p...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Benches
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Bentwood Bench by Koloman Moser, Viennese Secession, circa 1900By Koloman MoserLocated in Brussels, BEBentwood bench by Koloman Moser, Viennese secession, circa 1900.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Benches
MaterialsBentwood
- Four Chairs Thonet Nr.651, Since 1907By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZOriginal state with a pleasant patina of age, perfectly cleaned and repolished with shellac. One backrest has a crack (fixed with injected glue). Despite the crack, the backrest is f...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Belle Époque Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
$1,154 / set - SUiTE OF FOUR THONET CIRCA 1930'S AUSTRIAN BISTRO DINING BAR BENTWOOD CHAIRSBy ThonetLocated in GBRoyal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely suite of four original Austrian Thonet Bentwood cafe bistro dining chairs Circa 1930's Please n...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
$1,743 Sale Price / set30% Off