Set of Four Thonet Dining Chairs by Josef Frank
View Similar Items
Set of Four Thonet Dining Chairs by Josef Frank
About the Item
- Creator:Josef Frank (Designer),Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.04 in (89 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)Depth: 17.33 in (44 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Bauhaus (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU117426259733
Josef Frank
Austrian architect and furniture and fabric designer Josef Frank was a leading voice for a gentle, humane modernism. His advocacy of warm, comfortable, eclectically styled environments was highly influential in his adopted country of Sweden, and it’s now widely regarded as a harbinger of the backlash against doctrinaire modernism and the embrace of the homespun that occurred in the late 1960s.
The son of a successful Viennese textile manufacturer, Frank studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology, graduating in 1910. From the first years of his practice, he marched counter to the orderly, symmetrical architectural layouts and decors prescribed by contemporaries such as Adolf Loos.
Frank drafted rooms of varying shapes and called for flexible interior-design arrangements. His furniture pieces are light and easy to move — and his chairs are always made of wood, most often with lushly curved steam-bent arms and slatted backs. Frank openly loathed the tubular steel furnishings and “machine for living” aesthetic promoted by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other Bauhaus principals. “The home must not be a mere efficient machine,” Frank once said. “It must offer comfort, rest and coziness…. There are no puritan principles in good interior decoration.”
Frank — who was Jewish — sensed the dire implications of the rise of Nazism in Germany and Austria, and in 1933 he moved to Stockholm with his Swedish wife, Anna. He became the design chief for the furnishings maker Svenskt Tenn and found a perfect match culturally for his brand of simple, relaxed and bright creations. Like many modernists — notably Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard — Frank had a deep love of folk art, which influenced his designs for a wide array of colorful, richly patterned upholstery fabrics, many based on the classic “Tree of Life” motif.
In all his designs, Frank took inspiration from a broad variety of sources. In his furniture, one can discern traces of Asian patterns, Rococo, Italian Renaissance, Scandinavian handicrafts and even Chippendale pieces. As such, the work of Frank — the friendly modernist — is at home in any type of décor.
Find vintage Josef Frank pillows, armchairs, floor lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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.
- Set of Four Bentwood Dining Chairs Attributed to ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATBentwood chairs as Thonet No 20. New canning on all chairs. Four pieces available Delivery time 3-4 weeks.Category
Antique Early 1900s Czech Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood, Cane
- Set of Four Thonet Chairs Attributed to Otto PrutscherBy Otto Prutscher, ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATSet of four rare Thonet chairs attributed to Otto Prutscher. Fully restored, upholstered with Backhausen fabric "Blumengarten".Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Plywood
- Thonet Armchair No. 752 by Josef FrankBy Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Josef FrankLocated in Vienna, ATBeach bentwood fully restored with new caning. Made in the 1920s, price per chair 2 pieces available.Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
$2,490 / item - Set of Eight Thonet Dining ChairsBy Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood painted with plywood seat, made by Thonet in Austria in the 1930s. Eight pieces available. Price for unrested ones, full restoration on request possible.Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
$2,988 / set - Set of Six Dining Chairs by Jozef Gorcia & Andreas Krob for Thonet Model S78By ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATSet of six very comfortable armchairs. Made in the 1990s by Thonet in Germany. Classic model, straw back, the backs are slightly damaged on some chairs, see pictures. Designed in t...Category
1990s German Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of Four Dining Chairs by J. J. KohnBy Jacob & Josef KohnLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood with embossed plywood seat and with three tulips decorated back rest. Made in Austria in the 1900s by Jacob & Josef Kohn. Set of four.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
$2,400 / set
- Rare set of four Thonet A 811/4 chairs by Josef HoffmannBy Josef Hoffmann, ThonetLocated in PRAHA 5, CZSet of four very rare 1932 Josef Hoffmann chairs version A 811/4 crafted from lacquered beech wood. The chairs maintain its original charm with a delightful patina with all four seats being expertly refinished. Structurally sound, firm and steady. The Thonet A811 chairs...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Very rare Thonet B 946 chairs by Josef FrankBy Josef Frank, Thonet-MundusLocated in PRAHA 5, CZExtremely rare set of chairs designed by Josef Frank. This type of chairs was used by Adolf Loos for the kitchen of famous Villa Müller in Prague. Solid ...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
$3,515 / set - Set of Four Dining Chairs Model 2027 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt TennBy Josef FrankLocated in Stockholm, SESet of four dining chairs model 2027 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany and leather. Together with Estrid Ericson and her furnishing company, Svenskt...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Josef Frank Thonet Art Deco Four Windsor Armchairs Beech Brown circ 1925 AustriaBy Josef Frank, ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATArt Deco vintage four ( 4 ) dining chairs or armchairs from brown stained beech design attributed to Josef Frank executed by the company Thonet circa 1925 Austria. Each chair is labeled with company´s label underneath the seat. These four ( 4 ) dining chairs or armchairs show beautiful turned details at the armrests and at the connections to the seat. The surface is carefully cleaned and shellac polished by hand, so the amazing warmth and depth from beechwood is visible. Very good condition approx. measures: Width 57 cm Depth 53.5 cm Height 99 cm Seat height 45 cm The style and the creation of Windsor dining chairs was been used by Josef Frank. He preferred to use this type of armchair in his interiors, the reason is the cosiness and comfort these Windsor chairs have been featured. Josef Frank loved to connect all style directions of the world in his interiors. Josef Frank ( 1885 - 1967 ) a popular designer and architect, who created with Oskar Strnad an own concept for interiors and architecture: Wiener Schule der Architektur. 1925 Josef Frank founded with his companion Oskar Wlach the very popular interior company Haus & Garten in Vienna in the 1st district, for which he created many wonderful furnitures and interiors and demonstrated a forward looking live style with his lush textile designs and his functional and well looking furniture designs. Josef Frank is very popular till now due his creations for fairytale textile fabrics and his furniture designs, which he also created after 1933 in Sweden. Since 1938 Josef Frank stayed in Stockholm with his wife and designed fabrics for Svenskt Tenn, among others. 1941 Josef Frank emigrated to New York, where he lived and worked till 1947. Josef Frank ´s...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Set of Four Mid Century Dining Chairs by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYChic set of four dining chairs, made in the USA, circa 1950's , manufactured by Thonet. The chairs are constructed of bent plywood, vinyl and aluminum, they are currently in a lat...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Set of 5 Josef Frank Prague Chairs Made in Czechoslovakia, circa 1970sBy Thonet, Josef FrankLocated in New York, NYExceptional set of five bentwood armchairs design attributed to Josef Frank, marked Made in Czechoslovakia. The chairs are constructed of steam bent wood, probably beech, and nylon, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood