Bentwood Plant Stand by Thonet
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.26 in (87 cm)Width: 27.17 in (69 cm)Depth: 12.21 in (31 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1920s
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Banská Štiavnica, SK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6444231713472
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: Hronská Breznica, Slovakia
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Bentwood Plant Stands by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood plant stands by Thonet professionally stained and repolished.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Bentwood plant stand by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood plant stand executed by Thonet circa 1920s in very good original condition. Diameter of the top is 28cm.Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Vienna Secession Side Tables
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Bentwood Music Stand No.1 by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood music stand no.1 by Thonet professionally stained and repolished.Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Small Plant Stand by Thonet MundusBy Thonet-MundusLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood side table/flower stand by Thonet Mundus professionally stained and repolished.Category
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Thonet Music Stand No.3By ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKThonet music stand no.3. Professionally stained and repolished.Category
Vintage 1920s Hungarian Art Deco Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Oval bentwood table by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKOval bentwood table by Thonet in very good original condition.Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Side Tables
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Thonet Bentwood Pedestal/ Plant Stand, Austria circa 1905By ThonetLocated in Lichtenberg, ATUnusual bentwood pedestal or plant stand made by the famous company of Thonet in Vienna around 1906. This artfully designed early 20th century pedestal provides two round levels connected by delicate beechwood columns. The upper compartment is additionally highlighted by two bentwood rings on the outside confers this unique pedestal a very own style. A beautiful mahogany trimmed finishing and an exceptional shape gives this Art Nouveau plant stand...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Pedestals
MaterialsBentwood
- Wicker Bamboo Table or Plant Stand, SmallLocated in New York, NYA small, low, oval bamboo table, circa mid to late-20th century, 1970s. Piece can work well to hold a drink (as demonstrated), books, plant, etc. Dim...Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Side Tables
MaterialsBamboo, Wicker
- Patinated Bamboo & Rattan Lamp or Plant StandsLocated in Oxford, GBAntiqued majestic Pair of traditional colonial or regency in style plant or lamp stands painstakingly patinated, adorning an aged blackened lacquer cerused top, organic rattan legs, with tiger bamboo strips to each of the four sides… fabulous pair bags of character and texture with that regency - colonial feel, this pair of plant stands...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine American Colonial Side Tables
MaterialsBamboo, Rattan
- Asian Wood and Marble Drinks Table or Plant Stand, SmallLocated in New York, NYA Chinese carved hardwood table or stand with a rose marble top, circa late-19th century to early-20th century, China. Piece is a rich da...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Ming Side Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Vintage Brown Leather Plant Wine Tripod Stand on Paw Feet with CastorsLocated in Pulborough, GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this Lovely Tripod Plant Wine End Side Table A beautiful table to put a lamp, plant, wine or anything on it. We have lightly restored this by cl...Category
20th Century British Victorian Side Tables
MaterialsLeather
- Thonet Bentwood Side Table, Design by Josef Hoffmann, Austria ca. 1906By Josef Hoffmann, ThonetLocated in Lichtenberg, ATRemarkable round Art Nouveau coffee table "Fledermaus" designed by the famous Austrian architect and founder of the "Wiener Werkstaette" Josef Hoffma...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBeech