Chairs in Bentwood, Central Europe, 1930, Set of 2

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A set of two antique chairs in bentwood, with a curved crest rail over vertical splats and a moulded board … Read more A set of two antique chairs in bentwood, with a curved crest rail over vertical splats and a moulded board seat. Originates from Central Europe, where beech was steam-bent in iron moulds and assembled with through screws.The steam-bent beech chair was born in Vienna in the middle of the nineteenth century and became the most widespread seat in Europe: light, strong, knock-down and cheap to ship. Its presence in cafés, dining rooms and waiting rooms made it so common that it went almost unnoticed. Attributed to the Thonet tradition or the Central European bentwood school (including makers such as Jacob & Josef Kohn or Fischel), this piece reflects the formal and structural standards of early 20th-century Viennese production, although no maker’s mark is present to confirm a definitive attribution.The seat hoops and stretchers are single lengths of steam-bent beech; the rear legs run up in continuity with the back uprights. The joints are screwed from inside, the heads left visible beneath the seat. The seat carries an embossed rosette at its centre.The beech has taken a pale honey tone under its original varnish, more golden where hands and clothes have passed. The seats show the sheen that years of use give, with the odd fine scratch. The curves keep their tension and the hoops have no play. The set is complete and stable.An everyday dining chair, easy to stack against a wall and light to move. It works around a solid wood table and suits a rustic kitchen as readily as a contemporary dining room. See less