Walnut Bistro Chair Thonet, Czechoslovakia, 1920s
View Similar Items
Walnut Bistro Chair Thonet, Czechoslovakia, 1920s
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.83 in (91 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 16.54 in (42 cm)Seat Height: 18.51 in (47 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1920
- Condition:Refinished.
- Seller Location:Prague 8, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3318333433932
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 Chair Thonet, Czechoslovakia, 1930sBy ThonetLocated in Prague 8, CZThis wood bistro chair Thonet was made in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1930´s. It´s made of beechwood. It´s no longer marked, probably the label ...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Chairs
MaterialsWood, Beech
$192 Sale Price30% Off - Fully Restored Thonet Office Chair, 1930s, CzechoslovakiaBy ThonetLocated in Prague 8, CZThis chair was made by Thonet in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1930´s. THONET brand embossed on the underside of the seat. The chair was renovated and is in excellent condition. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsWood
$1,015 Sale Price30% 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 - Art Deco Coffee Table Thonet, 1930´s, CzechoslovakiaBy ThonetLocated in Prague 8, CZThis coffee table was made by Thonet company in the 1950´s in the former Czechoslovaia. It´s made of walnut and oak wood and marked Thonet at the bottom. In very good Vintage cond...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood, Oak, Walnut
$808 Sale Price30% Off - Art Deco Dining Chairs, 1930´S, Czechoslovakia, Set of 3Located in Prague 8, CZART DECO chairs, made in the 1930s in the former Czechoslovakia. Made of walnut wood, veneered. The veneer is in excellent condition. The seats are slightly raised due to age, but th...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
$1,354 Sale Price / set30% Off
- Thonet Bentwood Bistro Chair, Czechoslovakia 1940sBy ThonetLocated in Zohor, SKBeautiful vintage chair designed by Thonet. Bentwood details and construction makes this piece a timeless item. Plywood seat and backrest. Strong oak wood. The chair was partially re...Category
Vintage 1940s Czech Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsOak, Bentwood, Plywood
- Thonet Bentwood Cane Bistro or Side Chair, 1920'sBy ThonetLocated in Doylestown, PAThonet bentwood cane cafe or side chair, 1920's This iconic design chair has a sturdy yet lightweight beechwood frame. An original classic great for a varie...Category
Vintage 1920s European Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- Thonet Austrian Curved Wood Armrests Chair, 1920sBy ThonetLocated in Puglia, PugliaThonet Austrian arm chair, c. 1900/1920, In curved beech wood, the upholstery has been redone in ivory velvet and the wooden parts have been polished wi...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Nouveau Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
$1,187 Sale Price20% Off - 1920s Josef Hoffmann Bentwood Chairs, No. 811 for Thonet, CzechoslovakiaBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Praha, CZ- Carefully refurbished and finished by shellac - seat cane strings in good condition - backrest cane strings with minor damageCategory
Vintage 1920s Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- 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
- Set of 6 Antique Thonet Bent Wood Bistro Chairs w PatternBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYFour of these iconic chairs share a classic design, while the two end chairs feature arms. All feature a matching raised pattern. Please see photos. Despite their age, the set remain...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Chairs
MaterialsBentwood