Antique Livingroom Armchair Thonet No. 1 Bentwood Armchairs Salonfauteuil
View Similar Items
Antique Livingroom Armchair Thonet No. 1 Bentwood Armchairs Salonfauteuil
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37.41 in (95 cm)Width: 20.08 in (51 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)Seat Height: 19.3 in (49 cm)
- Style:Jugendstil (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Bentwood,Stained
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1920
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Recently restorated! New wickerwork by a master of this craft! Rigid struture! No cracks, no missing part. A very well persevered piece!
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU166529981023
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.
- Art Nouveau Bentwood Salonfauteuil Easy Chair / Armchair Thonet No. 1 circa 1890By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, ThonetLocated in Lucenec, SKVery rare antique Thonet easy chair no 1 produced by Gebruder Thonet from the late 19th century in a very good condition. New upholstery. Last picture is from Gebruder Thonet catalogue...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood, Upholstery
$1,935 Sale Price20% Off - Bentwood Cane Salonfauteuil Easy Chair Thonet No. 1, circa 1890By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, ThonetLocated in Lucenec, SKVery rare antique Thonet easy chair no 1 produced by Gebruder Thonet from the late 19th century in a very good condition with new cane on seat, cane ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Bentwood
$2,693 Sale Price37% Off - Postmodern Thonet Bentwood Armchair Lounge Chair, 1970sBy ThonetLocated in Madison, WI1970's accent bentwood chair made by Thonet. Condition: Great vintage condition throughout. Additional information: Materials: Bentwood, Upholstery Color: Red Period: 1970s Brand: ...Category
20th Century Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood, Upholstery
- Mid-Century Modern Thonet Bentwood Birch low back Lounge ArmchairBy ThonetLocated in BROOKLYN, NY(1) Mid-Century Modern Thonet bentwood birch lounge armchair. Has original tan upholstery. Great vintage condition. Timeless chair design by Thonet. Curved birch bentwood arms. Locat...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Birch, Bentwood
- Mid-Century Modern Thonet Bentwood Birch Lounge Armchair Reddish OrangeBy ThonetLocated in BROOKLYN, NY(1) Mid-Century Modern Thonet bentwood birch lounge armchair. Has original medium pastel Reddish Orange color vinyl upholstery. Great vintage condition. Timeless chair design by Thon...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Birch, Bentwood
- Thonet Bentwood ArmchairsBy ThonetLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of mid-century modern lounge chairs with sculpted flat bentwood arms. Single "floating" seat and back with tufted buttons. Please confirm location NY or NJ.Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
$2,000 / set