Bauhaus Thonet Folding Chair, B 751
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 18.12 in (46 cm)Depth: 19.3 in (49 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Style:Bauhaus (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Praha, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2456310769441
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Litoměřice, Czech Republic
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Bauhaus Thonet Folding Chair, B 751By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- 1930s, Czechoslovakia - Original (well-) preserved - Marked by maker - Straight and simple design - Publicated in books and catalogues.Category
Vintage 1930s Czech Bauhaus Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- 1950s Pair of B751 Folding Chair from Thonet/Ligna, CzechoslovakiaBy Ligna, ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- good original condition with minor signs of use - Ligna is a nationalized Thonet factory after the Second World War - Stamped LignaCategory
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- 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
- Tubular Steel Chrome Bauhaus Chair / THONET, Mart Stam, 1930 (Eisengarn)By ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- 1930 - Designer: Mart Stam - Good, absolutely original condition, original isengarn/ iron fabric !! - Very rare and early piece, probably Thonet - Collectible one.Category
Vintage 1920s German Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Swivel Office Chair ThonetBy D. G. Fischell, ThonetLocated in Praha, CZOriginal state. Solid, can normally be used.Category
Early 20th Century Czech Bauhaus Stools
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Set of Three Mid-Century Plia Folding Chairs, Giancarlo Piretti, Castelli, 1960sLocated in Praha, CZ- Iconic model - Very practical - MarkedCategory
Vintage 1960s Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
- Set 4 Classic Bauhaus Thonet Style Folding Chairs manufactured by StakmoreBy Thonet, Stakmore CompanyLocated in Buffalo, NYSet 4 Classic Bauhaus Thonet Style Folding Chairs manufactured by Stakmore..Wonderful original condition.. Great patina ,color and surface,, Extreamelly well made,,Category
Vintage 1930s American Bauhaus Side Chairs
MaterialsWood, Bentwood
- Pair Made Italy Bauhaus Style Bistro Café Chairs Chrome Cane Seat After ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Topeka, KSLovely vintage Bauhaus style made in Italy after Thonet chrome frame with wood & cane seat bistro or café chairs, a pair. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that these are vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. The wood ring on one of the chair seats was split in the back and has been repaired. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections. Circa, 1970’s. Isn’t this a charming pair of chairs? We sure think so! This is a wonderful pair of Italian bistro...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Bauhaus Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- A pair 1930's Thonet Crocodile folding chairs Bauhaus eraBy ThonetLocated in Leicester, GBA pair of Bauhaus bentwood crocodile chairs by Thonet. Beech and plywood folding café chairs from the 1930s with crocodile skin embossed seat and b...Category
Vintage 1930s Polish Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Pair of 1960s Mid-Century Thonet B 751 Wood Folding ChairsBy ThonetLocated in Carimate, ComoPair of folding chairs model B751 designed at the beginning of the 20th century by Thonet, manufactured in the early 1960s at the Thonet factory in Radomsko (central Poland). Chairs ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Set of 4 1960s Mid-Century Thonet B 751 Wood Folding ChairsBy ThonetLocated in Carimate, ComoI offer a set of four folding chairs model B751 designed at the beginning of the 20th century by Thonet, manufactured in the early 1960s at the Thonet factory in Radomsko (central Po...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Thonet Side ChairBy ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood frame with upholsterd seat. Manufactured by Thonet in Austria about 1880.Category
Antique 1880s Austrian Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood