4 bentwood chairs, number 7, published by Thonet at the end of the 19th century.
View Similar Items
4 bentwood chairs, number 7, published by Thonet at the end of the 19th century.
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36.62 in (93 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Napoleon III (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1875
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7577232843942
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.
- Pair of chairs with armrests by Jacques Hitier, published in France in the 1950By Jacques HitierLocated in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FRPair of chairs with armrests by Jacques Hitier, published by Tubauto in the 1950s. Structure in painted steel tubing, seats and backs in wood and imitation leather. Very good conditi...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 3 chairs designed by Jacques Hitier in the 1950s in FranceBy Jacques HitierLocated in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FR3 chairs designed by Jacques Hitier in the 1950s, published by Tubauto. Structure in painted steel, seats and backs in wood and imitation leather. Very good condition for their age! ...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 2 Castelli chairs DSC-106 model designed by Giancarlo Piretti in the 60sBy Giancarlo PirettiLocated in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FRPair of chairs model DSC 106 designed by Giancarlo Piretti in 1965 published by Castelli. Cast aluminium frame, metal legs upholstered in plastic, painted wooden seat and back. The s...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Couple of Chairs Designed by Pierre Guariche for MeuropBy Pierre GuaricheLocated in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FRPair of chairs, design by Pierre Guariche, published by Meurop in the 60s, from the series called "Robert". Frame in black lacquered metal tubing, refurbished to new condition, seats...Category
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,236 Sale Price / set55% Off - 19th century french gusseted glove box or caseLocated in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FRLate 19th century French glove box or case, probably made by Louis Ducat, successor to the Smal firm. This firm was located on the Place du Palais Roy...Category
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Antiquities
MaterialsBrass
- Bentwood armchair produced by the Fischel company between 1890 and 1910By FischelLocated in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FRBentwood armchair no. 18 produced by the Fischel company in Niemes (Bohemia) between 1890 and 1910. The wood is in good condition, as is the canework, which is very different from th...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
$1,143 Sale Price20% Off
- Rare and Original Antique Bentwood Thonet Child's Chair 19th Century FurnitureBy ThonetLocated in Lisse, NLMarked and original children's chair, the 'Kindersessel nr 1.' This 19th century Thonet chair for a child dates from circa 1860-1880 and the name Thonet needs no further introduction. This rare piece is in excellent and original condition. It is as stable as the day it was hand-crafted and the undamaged upholstery is almost certainly original too. The stunning seat with its beautiful pattern and colors is either filled with straw or with horse's hair. This small and rare Thonet chair...Category
Antique 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Children's Furniture
MaterialsFabric, Bentwood
- Rare Pair of 19th Century Ebonized Bentwood ChairsBy ThonetLocated in Isle Sur La Sorgue, VaucluseRare and charming pair of antique bentwood chairs, possibly by Thonet. The design of the chair is ingenious and creates a lovely, flu...Category
Antique 19th Century European Chairs
- Pair of 19th century Faux Bamboo Parlor Chairs by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Munich, DE19th Century bentwood parlor chairs by Thonet. Beautiful gold patina & faded fabric. Both chairs show heavy signs of their age, flaking gold patina, washed out seat fabric & yet the ...Category
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Faux Bamboo
- Bentwood 'Chair of the Rings' Chair by Martino Gamper for Thonet / ConranBy Martino Gamper, ThonetLocated in Surbiton, GBSculptural bentwood 'Chair of the Rings' chair designed by Martin Gamper and produced by Thonet in 2008. Gamper was invited by Polly Dickens, creative director of the Conran Shop, ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Bentwood Chair in the Style of Thonet, circa 1930By ThonetLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaBentwood chair by unknown designer and manufacturer in the style of Thonet. Made in Austria, circa 1930. In original condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preser...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Wood
- Black Bentwood Chair in the Style of Thonet, circa 1950By ThonetLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaBlack bentwood chair designed in the style of Thonet. Made in France, circa 1950. In original condition with minor wear consistent with age a...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood