Restored Biedermeier Étagère, by Thonet, Beech, Walnut, Austria, Vienna, 1910s
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 47.25 in (120 cm)Width: 31.11 in (79 cm)Depth: 22.45 in (57 cm)
- Style:Biedermeier (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1910-1919
- Date of Manufacture:1910-1919
- Condition:Refinished.
- Seller Location:Horomerice, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2641339175782
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: Brandýs nad Labem, Czech Republic
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Restored ArtDeco Pair of Pedestals, Hoffmann, Thonet, Beech, Austria, 1910sBy Josef Hoffmann, ThonetLocated in Horomerice, CZRestored ArtDeco Pair of Pedestals Designer: Josef Franz Maria Hoffmann Maker: Thonet Material: Stained Beech Source: Austria Period: 1910-1919 Revived original polish. Designed by...Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Art Deco More Mirrors
MaterialsWood, Beech
- Restored Biedermeier Walnut Armchair, Vienna, Austria, 1820sLocated in Horomerice, CZRestored Biedermeier Walnut Armchair attributed to Josef Danhauser. Source: Vienna, Austria Period: 1820-1829 Material: Walnut Seat height: 44 cm / 17.32″ Our professional refurbis...Category
Antique 1820s Austrian Biedermeier More Mirrors
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- Restored Biedermeier Cherry-Tree Etagere, Revived Polish, Vienna, Austria, 1810sLocated in Horomerice, CZRestored Biedermeier Cherry-Tree Etagere. Source: Vienna, Austria Period: 1810-1819 Material: Cherry-Tree Our professional refurbishing team in Czechia has fully restored it accord...Category
Antique 1810s Austrian Biedermeier More Mirrors
MaterialsWood, Cherry
- Restored Biedermeier Walnut Armchair, Josef Danhauser, Vienna, Austria, 1820sBy Josef DanhauserLocated in Horomerice, CZRestored Biedermeier Walnut Armchair attributed to Josef Danhauser. Source: Vienna, Austria Period: 1820-1829 Material: Walnut Revived polish. New professional upholstery. Seat heig...Category
Antique 1820s Austrian Biedermeier More Mirrors
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
- Restored Art Nouveau Round Table, by Hans Reinstein, Beech, Austria, 1910sBy Hans Gunther ReinsteinLocated in Horomerice, CZIt has been re-polished with polyutherane piano lacquer by our professional refurbishing team in Czechia according to the original process. This item features Art Nouveau elements. ...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood, Lacquer, Beech, Spruce
- Restored Art Deco Sofa, by Josef Hoffmann, J&J Kohn, Beech, Austria, 1910sBy Josef Hoffmann, J & J Kohn & MundusLocated in Horomerice, CZArt Deco sofa Completely restored, new upholstery included. Designed by Josef Maria Hoffman, renowed Austrian architect and industrial engineer. Stable construction in perfect cond...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Upholstery, Beech, Lacquer
- 19th Century Biedermeier Walnut Pillar EtagereLocated in Darmstadt, DEVery nice little pillar etagere from the time of Biedermeier, circa 1820. The etagere is walnut veneered on pine wood. The columns are made of solid walnut. There is a drawer in the ...Category
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Shelves
MaterialsWalnut
- Biedermeier Etagère with hinged Lid, Walnut, Germany, polished, around 1820Located in Greding, DEBiedermeier bookshelf with three shelves and a lockable hinged compartment. The étagère is veneered with walnut and stands on slightly curved feet.Category
Antique 1820s German Biedermeier Shelves
MaterialsWalnut
- Art Nouveau Bentwood Étagère or Shelf by Thonet, Austria, circa 1905By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in Lichtenberg, ATRare Art Nouveau bentwood étagère made by the famous company of Thonet, the epitome of bentwood furniture, circa 1905 in Vienna or Austria. This large...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Shelves
MaterialsBentwood, Felt
- Viennese Biedermeier Étagère / Round Collection Display TableLocated in Charleston, SCThis elegant Viennese étagère is made of cherry-veneer with ebony feet and cock-bead around the edge of each of the four shelves. The graceful lines of this étagère are similar to a ...Category
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Shelves
MaterialsCherry, Ebony
- 20th Century Biedermeier Style Étagère ShelvesLocated in Berlin, DEBird’s eye maple root veneer on solid pinewood. Architecturally structured front with two shelf boards and edging gallery in balustrade form. Flanked by full columns from solid beech...Category
20th Century Biedermeier Shelves
MaterialsBirdseye Maple, Wood, Beech, Pine
- 20th Century Biedermeier Style Etagere ShelvesLocated in Berlin, DE20th Century Biedermeier Style Etagere Shelves Venner on solid pinewood. Partially gilded. (O-Sam-71)Category
20th Century Biedermeier Shelves
MaterialsWood, Pine