4 Thonet Chairs
View Similar Items
4 Thonet Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.71 in (78 cm)Width: 24.41 in (62 cm)Depth: 22.05 in (56 cm)Seat Height: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Saint Ouen, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2927325109142
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.
- 6 Chairs Rennie by Kazuhide TakahamaBy Kazuhide TakahamaLocated in Saint Ouen, FRKazuhide Takahama, (1930-2010) Rennie suite of 6 chairs model Rennie high backrest and wide seat upholstered in cream fabric, the legs forming shelves in glossy black lacquered wo...Category
Vintage 1970s Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Lacquer
- Cattelan Italia Suite of 4 ChairsBy Cattelan ItaliaLocated in Saint Ouen, FRCattelan Italia suite of 4 chairs black leather / metal circa 1980 Measures: 106 x 49 x 45 cms the 4: 890 euros.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Pierre Guariche, Pair of Chairs Model TonneauBy Pierre GuaricheLocated in Saint Ouen, FRPierre Guariche - Pair of chairs model Tonneau Green imitation and black lacquered metal Steiner edition Circa 1955 Measures: H76 x W51 x D47 From the Pierre Bergé collecti...Category
Vintage 1950s French Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,539 / set - Angelo Mangiarotti 10 Chairs by Angelo MangiarottiBy Angelo MangiarottiLocated in Saint Ouen, FR10 wood and carpet chairs Blackened wood and seat in white muslin fabric This model was designed for the Italian architect and designer Angelo Mangiarotti Dimensions : W43 ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Hyaline Chair Lounge Glass and Leather, 1974By Fabio LenciLocated in Saint Ouen, FRHyaline chair lounge designer: Fabio Lenci, manufacturer: Comfort Line Design, period: 1960-1969, year of production: 1974, country of production: Italy....Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Glass
- Pair of Armchair and Windsor Chair by Lucian Randolph ErcolaniBy Lucian ErcolaniLocated in Saint Ouen, FRPair of Armchair and Windsor chair by Lucian Randolph Ercolani Ercol Edition circa 1960 Elm and beech Measures: 97 x 42 x 41 cm In very ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsElm
- Illustrated Thonet ChairBy ThonetLocated in Antwerp, BEThonet armchair with a printed illustration. The seat and backrest are weaved in rattan. The rest of the frame is covered in a print that could have influenced by the great Fornase...Category
Early 20th Century Belgian Art Nouveau Armchairs
MaterialsWood
$2,240 Sale Price20% Off - Thonet chair 1910sBy ThonetLocated in Čelinac, BAThonet chair no.335Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Art Nouveau Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Chair Thonet Nr.57By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZIn very good original condition with a beautiful patina. Perfectly cleaned and polished with shellac.Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
On Hold$351 / item - Folding Chair, Thonet, 1920'sBy ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- made in Czechoslovakia - made of wood - good, original condition.Category
Vintage 1920s Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- After Thonet Wood ChairBy ThonetLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaAfter Thonet chair, manufactured by unknown manufactured, circa 1920. In good original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preservi...Category
Antique 1890s German Other Chairs
MaterialsWood
- 1940's Chair by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Brno, CZThis is an original chair produced the late 1940’s. The chair doesn’t have a company label anymore but we believe it was produced by Thonet Company in one of their factories in forme...Category
Vintage 1940s Czech Bohemian Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech