Set of Six Bentwood Chairs by Oswald Haerdtl for Thonet
View Similar Items
Set of Six Bentwood Chairs by Oswald Haerdtl for Thonet
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Designer),Oswald Haerdtl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 17.33 in (44 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:Very good condition. In general we would like to point out that all vintage items on 1stdibs have minor imperfections such as little scratches. Mayor imperfections are always shown on pictures or mentioned.
- Seller Location:Dronten, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93147579523
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 Cantilevered Chairs Thonet Bauhaus Model ST14 by Hans LuckhardtBy Hans & Wassili Luckhardt, ThonetLocated in Dronten, NLThis hard to find set of 4 Thonet chairs, model ST 14, represents the modernist idea of the Bauhaus in an elegant way. Designed in 1931 for DESTA Berlin, later Thonet, Hans Luckhardt...Category
Mid-20th Century German Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Set of Six Tulu Chairs by Kazuhide Takahama for Simon GavinaBy Kazuhide Takahama, Studio SimonLocated in Dronten, NLThe Tulu chair was designed by the Japanese designer Kazuhide Takahama for Simon International in 1966. The Tulu is one of the very first models that paved the way for the use of chrome-plated steel rod. The steel rod makes it possible to produce softly curved, extremely rounded structures. The back and seat upholstery is attached with zippers and completely removable. The dark blue Alcantara fabric is great, it is the Italian version of Ultrasuede. It feels like natural suede, but it is resistant to stains and discoloration; it can be washed in a washing machine. These elegant stackable chairs are in very good all original condition. They are an early production of Simon International and marked with a silver foil label inside the seat. This set was bought by the original owners in 1970 together with a Sarpi table...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Set of Six Anna R Chairs by L&R Palomba for Crassevig, ItalyBy CrassevigLocated in Dronten, NLA set of six Anna R dining chairs designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba for Crassevig, Italy. These chairs feature a dark brown solid wood frame with double-paneled back and a se...Category
1990s Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plywood
- Set of Six Kai Kristiansen Dining ChairsBy Kai KristiansenLocated in Dronten, NLRare matching all original set of 6 dining chairs in beautifully sculpted teak and black leather designed by Kai Kristiansen and produced by Oddensen Maskinsnedkeri in Denmark, circa...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
$10,250 / set - Set of Six Sven Markelius 'Orchestra' ChairsBy Sven MarkeliusLocated in Dronten, NLSet of six stacking chairs in birch designed by the Swedish architect Sven Markelius. Manufactured by Bodafors for the Helsingborg Concert Hall in 1932. A landmark of Swedish archi...Category
Vintage 1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsBirch, Plywood
$5,750 / set - Set of Four Torbecchia Chairs by Giovanni Michelucci for PoltronovaBy Poltronova, Giovanni MichelucciLocated in Dronten, NLSet of 4 dining chairs from the Torbecchia series, designed by brutalist architect Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova, 1964. Solid walnut structure with seats upholstered in cane. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Walnut
- Oswald Haerdtl Set of Four Chairs, the 1950sBy Oswald Haerdtl, ThonetLocated in Almelo, NLOswald Haerdtl set of four chairs, the 1950s A rare set of four chairs was designed by the Austrian designer Oswald Haerdtl and produced by Ton (Thonet) in the former Czechoslova...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Beech, Bentwood
$2,450 / set - Oswald Haerdtl Beech Dining Chairs, 1950sBy Oswald Haerdtl, ThonetLocated in Almelo, NLOswald Haerdtl set of four chairs, the 1950s A rare set of four chairs was designed by the Austrian designer Oswald Haerdtl and produced by Ton (Thonet) in the former Czechoslova...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Beech, Bentwood
$2,450 / set - Mid-Century Design Chair No.515 by Oswald Haerdtl for ThonetBy Oswald Haerdtl, ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKMid-century design chair no.515 by Oswald Haerdtl for Thonet.Category
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Beech Dining Chairs by Oswald Haerdtl and Produced by Ton 'Thonet'By Oswald Haerdtl, ThonetLocated in Denventer, NLRare set (6) beech dining table chairs designed by the Austrian designer Oswald Haerdtl and produced by Ton (Thonet) in the former Czechoslovakia 1950s. Characteristic beech wood cha...Category
Vintage 1950s Czech Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
$3,694 Sale Price20% Off - 1960s Set of Four Oswald Haerdtl Dining Chairs in Fabric, CzechoslovakiaBy Oswald HaerdtlLocated in Praha, CZ- Newly upholstered. - Wooden parts have been repolished. - Sturdy and stable.Category
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 1960s Oswald Haerdtl, Set of 4 Dining Chairs by TON, CzechoslovakiaBy Oswald Haerdtl, ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- Good original condition with minor signs of use - original upholstery with minor sings of useCategory
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood