Pair of fireside armchairs Thonet A 752 by Josef Frank
About the Item
- Creator:Frank Josef (Designer),Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 26.78 in (68 cm)Depth: 27.96 in (71 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Bauhaus (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:PRAHA 5, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7114237153372
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: Praha 2, Czech Republic
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Josef Frank A 63/F Armchairs for Thonet, 1930sBy Thonet, Josef FrankLocated in PRAHA 5, CZPair of rare modernist armchairs first showcased at the Vienna Werkbund exhibition in 1928. Crafted from solid beech (bentwood) and plywood, adorned with a brown lacquer coating, th...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsBeech
- Pair of Rare Adolf Loos Thonet B 952 F ArmchairsBy Adolf Loos, ThonetLocated in PRAHA 5, CZExtremely rare beech wood Windsor-style chairs by Loos Adolf (1870–1933), manufactured by Gebrüder Thonet. Stamped by company trade mark. The authorshi...Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsBeech
- Rare Thonet A 403/F Armchair by Josef FrankBy Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Gustav Adolf SchneckLocated in PRAHA 5, CZ"Fireplace chair" designed by Josef Frank c. 1928, for Gebrüder Thonet. Mahagony stained bent beech and beech plywood. Professionaly restored. With Thonet brand embossed and Thonet p...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Modernist Thonet a 745/F Bentwood ArmchairBy ThonetLocated in PRAHA 5, CZBentwood avantgarde armchair produced by Tatra Martin, Slovakia under Thonet licence in 1930's. In very good original condition, surface expertly polished. Structurally sound.Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsBeech
- Very rare Thonet B 946 chairs by Josef FrankBy Josef Frank, Thonet-MundusLocated in PRAHA 5, CZExtremely rare set of chairs designed by Josef Frank. This type of chairs was used by Adolf Loos for the kitchen of famous Villa Müller in Prague. Solid ...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Vintage bentwood armchair Thonet B 47By Thonet-MundusLocated in PRAHA 5, CZManufactured by Thonet in 1930s under catalogue number 1626/1. Labeled with manufacturers trade mark. Made of beech wood and plywood. In good original condition with some traces of w...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsBeech
- Thonet Armchair No. 752 by Josef FrankBy Josef Frank, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in Vienna, ATBeach bentwood fully restored with new caning. Made in the 1920s, price per chair 2 pieces available.Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Bauhaus Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- Antique Armchair No. 752 by Josef Frank for Thonet, 1920sBy Josef Frank, ThonetLocated in Praha, CZThis antique armchair, model no. 752, was designed in the 1920s by Josef Frank for Thonet and originates from Austria. It is made from beech and features an upholstery seat. This pie...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood, Upholstery
- 1950s Pair of Josef Frank Bentwood Armchairs no. 752 by ThonBy Frank JosefLocated in Praha, CZ- Carefully refurbished and finish by shellac - Labeled - dimensions: 74 x(38) x 67 x 67 ; 72 x (39) x 65 x65.Category
Vintage 1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Pair of Josef Frank Armchairs A 752, Wood Cane, Thonet, Austria, 1930sBy Josef Frank, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbHLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA set of two chairs model 'Kaminfauteuil A 752' (engl. fireplace armchair) designed by Josef Frank and manufactured by Thonet, Vienna, Austria, circ...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Cane
- Pair of armchairs model A413F by Josef Frank for Thonet-MundusBy Josef FrankLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKPair of armchairs model A413F by Josef Frank for Thonet-Mundus with bamboo backrest. Professionally stained and repolished.Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsBamboo, Beech
- Armchairs by Josef Hoffmann for Thonet ViennaBy Thonet, Josef HoffmannLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood frame, wool fabric upholstery. Designed circa 1900-1910 by Josef Hoffmann for Cabaret Fledermaus in Vienna. Made by Thonet. Set of two.Category
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood