Armchair
ca. 1905 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This chair was made in Vienna by the Austrian firm of Gebrüder Thonet (Thonet Brothers). The design was first produced by the firm in about 1905. It has often been suggested that the chair was designed by the Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956), whose early work was in a curvilinear Art Nouveau style. There is no direct evidence for this, however, and it may well have been designed by someone working in the company’s in-house studio. By 1905, Gebrüder Thonet were producing hundreds of designs for domestic use and for restaurants, shops and offices in their famous bentwood technique using solid turned sections of beechwood steamed and then bent into shape.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Steam-bent beechwood, stained, with cane seat |
| Brief description | Armchair made by Thonet; steam-bent beechwood, stained; Austria; ca.1905. |
| Physical description | Armchair of steam-bent beechwood, with a caned seat, the woodwork stained. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Stencil 'THONET' to inside of seat rail. Label 'Thonet/Wien' to inside front seat rail. |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Also available in white paint finish and as a rocking chair |
| Summary | This chair was made in Vienna by the Austrian firm of Gebrüder Thonet (Thonet Brothers). The design was first produced by the firm in about 1905. It has often been suggested that the chair was designed by the Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956), whose early work was in a curvilinear Art Nouveau style. There is no direct evidence for this, however, and it may well have been designed by someone working in the company’s in-house studio. By 1905, Gebrüder Thonet were producing hundreds of designs for domestic use and for restaurants, shops and offices in their famous bentwood technique using solid turned sections of beechwood steamed and then bent into shape. |
| Associated object | W.41-1979 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.42-1979 |
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| Record created | January 13, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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