Josef Hoffmann Bentwood Settee
About the Item
- Creator:Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH (Maker),Josef Hoffmann (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 47.25 in (120 cm)Depth: 23.23 in (59 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Style:Vienna Secession (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:1900
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU117426683893
Josef Hoffmann
The Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann was a central figure in the evolution of modern design, and a leader in an aesthetic movement born in Europe in the late 19th century that rejected florid, extravagant ornamentation in favor of a new emphasis on simplicity of line.
As a founder of the Vienna Secession — a union of artists and designers determined to upend Austria’s artistic conservatism — and later, a founder of the turn-of-the-century Wiener Werkstätte (in English: the Viennese Workshops), a design cooperative that produced superbly crafted furniture and housewares, Hoffmann was a pioneering practitioner of what would become a fundamental principle of modernism: that good design is a way of life.
Hoffmann came of age amidst a shift in the culture of the applied arts, as a conservative order that looked only to the past for inspiration was pushed aside. But what, exactly, would replace that order was in question — and Hoffmann’s career embodies the developing patterns of design’s new spirit. His architectural work reflects his time as a student of the Vienna architect Otto Wagner, who disdained excessive decoration and employed new materials such as steel girders and reinforced concrete to create buildings with airy, open interiors full of light.
As a designer of furniture and interiors, Hoffmann was consistently open-minded about the aesthetics he explored. He was an early adherent of the flowing, organic forms of the Art Nouveau design movement that began to flourish in the late 1880s — but by the opening of the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903, Hoffmann’s designs embraced the beauty of geometry in pieces that feature grids and angular forms.
Hoffmann’s greatest works reflect his ability to combine seemingly conflicting design visions into coherent wholes. His architectural masterpiece, the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, has an exterior that groups together simple geometric forms and spacious interiors marked by subtly naturalistic design details that lend rooms an air of charm and geniality.
Hoffmann’s signature furniture design is an adjustable lounge chair — the Sitzmaschine (1905) — that marries a curving frame with square and rectangular back- and side rests. This piece, like so many others by Hoffmann, reflects a groundbreaking, forward-thinking appreciation for the union of different looks and sources that marks the best of interior design in our own day. Moreover, items offered on 1stDibs — which range from enameled silver jewelry, to silver flower vase baskets and other decorative objects, to sofas, lighting pendants and sconces — testify to the astonishing breadth of Hoffman’s creative pursuits. He was truly a giant of design.
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
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 antique Gebrüder Thonet furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Vienna, Austria
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Josef Hoffmann Bentwood SetteeBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Vienna, ATOriginally designed by Josef Hoffmann for Cabaret "Fledermaus" in Viennas city centre. Beech bentwood bench manufactured by: Jacob & Josef Kohn, or Thonet Vienna (model NR. 423 F/ C)...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Settees
MaterialsUpholstery, Beech
- Josef Hoffmann Bentwood SetteeBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Vienna, ATOriginally designed by Josef Hoffmann for Cabaret "Fledermaus" in Viennas city centre. Beech bentwood bench manufactured by Thonet Vienna Nut stained, seat and backrest upholstered...Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Benches
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Bentwood Bench Attributed to Josef HoffmannBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bent wood bench manufactured by: Jacob & Josef Kohn, or Thonet Vienna (model NR. 423 F/ C) (the manufacturer label is missing). Mahagony coloure...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Benches
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Very Rare Thonet Chairs Attributed to Josef HoffmannBy Josef Hoffmann, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood with upholstered seat and backrest. Catalog number 798. Designed probably by Josef Hoffmann for Thonet, circa 1900. Set of two.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Bentwood Armchair by Josef Hoffmann SuccLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood with canned seat, made in 1900-1910 by Josef Hoffmann Succ. in Bielitz (Poland) formaly Austria. Fully restored with new canning.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- Rare Armchair by Josef HoffmannBy Josef Hoffmann, Thonet-MundusLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood frame, leather upholstery. Designed circa 1900-1910 by Josef Hoffmann for Cabaret Fledermaus in Vienna. Made by Thonet. Delivery time about 4-6 weeks. Up to six avail...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Fledermaus Seating Group by Josef Hoffmann Ex. by Wittmann WienBy Wittmann, Josef HoffmannLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKFledermaus seating group by Josef Hoffmann ex. by Wittmann Wien circa 1950. Original vintage condition with signs of use. Sofa: wxdxh 119x50x74 seat height 44cm Armchair: wxdxh 56x50...Category
Vintage 1950s Slovak Vienna Secession Settees
MaterialsBeech
- Rare, Josef Hoffmann Salon Suite Designed for the Cafe Fledermaus, ViennaBy Josef HoffmannLocated in New York, NYOriginal good condition with vintage upholstery, the suite measures: Measures: Sofa: 46" x 21.5" x 31" Chairs : 22.5" x 21.5" x 31". each. Imported by Eileen Lane Antiques...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Settees
MaterialsBeech
- Three Piece Set by Josef Hoffmann w/ Beech Frame & Clarence House FabricBy Josef HoffmannLocated in New York, NYThis elegant and refined three piece living room set, consisting of two chairs and a settee were designed by the legendary Josef Hoffman in Austria circa 1905. They feature concave d...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Settees
MaterialsFabric, Beech
- Josef Hoffmann Seating GroupBy Josef HoffmannLocated in New York, NYThis Austrian seating group was designed by Josef Hoffmann, the leading architect of the Viennese Secession movement of the early 20th century, and executed by the firm of Josef and Jacob Kohn, craftsmen of the Wiener Werkstaette collaborative group. The original good finish as been carefully restored and the three piece suite has been recently reupholstered in a reissued Josef Hoffmann fabric...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Settees
MaterialsBeech
- Josef Hoffmann for J. & J. Kohn, Bentwood Armchair Model 725 B/FBy Josef Hoffmann, J & J Kohn & MundusLocated in Brooklyn, NYNice example of this rare and desirable chair, in the original dark stained beech, with corner balls enforcements under the seat. Upholstered in a Secessionist style fabric.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Beech
- Josef Hoffmann 'Attributed' Wiener Werkstatte J&J Kohn Lacquered Bentwood, PairBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Sharon, CTA very early and rare example of a J & J Kohn Secessionist design containing many hallmarks of Hoffmann's more well know designs. Most interesting is the treatment of the bracing sol...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Side Chairs
MaterialsBentwood