Model B28 Dining Chair from Mundus, 1920s

Details

Description

This elegant bentwood dining chair was originally designed by Thonet in 1904 as model No. 28 - one of the … Read more This elegant bentwood dining chair was originally designed by Thonet in 1904 as model No. 28 - one of the company’s most distinctive experiments in form and proportion.
This particular example was produced by the Mundus Company in one of their factories in former Czechoslovakia around 1920, before Mundus merged with J. & J. Kohn. In 1924, the two companies joined forces with Thonet, continuing production under the new name Thonet–Mundus.

The chair’s design tells an intriguing story. The seat and the circular (here oval) lower support ring are classic Thonet elements — hallmarks of early 20th-century bentwood craftsmanship. Yet the placement of the legs, extending both to the front and rear of the seat, together with the strikingly simple curved backrest, marked a daring departure from convention.
By using three legs to support the backrest instead of the usual two, the designer achieved remarkable structural stability and a bold, sculptural silhouette. The result is a chair that is both minimal and expressive - a refined statement in wood and geometry.

The subtle decorative embossing on the seat serves as the chair’s primary ornament, adding texture and depth without compromising its clean modernist character.

Recently, the chair has been meticulously restored to its original beauty. Our experienced restorer revived the natural grain of the wood and finished it by hand in traditional shellac varnish, preserving its warmth and authenticity.
There is minimal wear consistent with age, but overall, the chair remains in excellent vintage condition - elegant, stable, and ready for another century of use.

Whether appreciated as a functional design object or as a piece of 20th-century furniture history, this chair represents the timeless ingenuity of European bentwood design — a quiet masterpiece born from simplicity and purpose. This piece has an attribution mark,
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