Bentwood swivel chair no.9 by J.J.Kohn
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37.01 in (94 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Style:Vienna Secession (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1886
- Condition:Replacements made: new handmade rattan seat. Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
- Seller Location:Banská Štiavnica, SK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6444236811152
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 swivel chair B663 by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood swivel chair B663 by Thonet. Professionally stained and repolished.Category
Vintage 1930s Czech Art Deco Swivel Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Wall Hanger No.1368 by J.J.KohnBy Jacob & Josef KohnLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKWall hanger no.1368 by J.J.Kohn in original condition.Category
Antique Early 1900s Slovak Vienna Secession Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBentwood
- Rocking Chair No.813 by Koloman Moser for J.J.KohnBy Koloman MoserLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKRocking chair no.813 by Koloman Moser for J.J.Kohn. Professionally stained and repolished.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Plant Stands by J.J.KohnBy Jacob & Josef KohnLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKPlant stands by J.J.Kohn professionally stained and repolished.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Bentwood dining room chair no.33 by J&J KohnBy Jacob & Josef KohnLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood dining room chair no.33 by J&J Kohn professionally stained and repolished with new rattan seat.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Bentwood
- Thonet Swivel ChairBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKThonet swivel chair in good original condition with signs of usage.Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Swivel Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Austrian Bentwood Scroll Swivel ChairBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYAustrian Bentwood (19/20th Century) swivel chair with scroll pedestal base and caned seat and back with oval open arm design. (att: THONET)Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Swivel Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Swivel High Stool in BentwoodBy ThonetLocated in Barcelona, ESRevolving high stool in bentwood with upholstered seat and backrest. Thonet style, Austria, 1930s Nicely constructed in turned bentwood standing up on four legs with a foot rest ring. The wood structure is strong and sturdy. Height adjustable. Nice aged patina. This eye-catching rotating stool...Category
20th Century Austrian Arts and Crafts Stools
MaterialsWood, Bentwood
- Vienna Secessionist Bentwood Chair by Kohn MundusBy J & J Kohn & Mundus, ThonetLocated in New York, NYClassic steam bent Vienna Secessionist side chair made in Czechoslovia, by J.J. Kohn & Mundus, circa 1900/1920's. The chair is in very good, clean, ready to use condition, showing o...Category
Early 20th Century Czech Vienna Secession Side Chairs
MaterialsCane, Bentwood
- Pair of Mid-Century Modern Leather Bentwood Swivel Armchairs by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of Mid-Century Modern, bent maple, swivel armchairs by Thonet with newly upholstered seats, backs and armrests in cream leather. Measure: The arm height is 26 inches.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMaple, Leather
- 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
- 1950's Bentwood Swivel Armchair by Ligna PragueBy LignaLocated in Brno, CZElegant and timeless, this swivel armchair was designed and produced in the 1950’s by the TON Company in Czechoslovakia. It has however the markings of the LIGNA label, which can be ...Category
Vintage 1950s Czech Bohemian Swivel Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech