Bentwood Armchairs in the style of Thonet, Central Europe, 1930, Set of 2

Details

Description

A set of two antique armchairs in bentwood, with a horseshoe back wrapping into the arms, over vertical splats and … Read more A set of two antique armchairs in bentwood, with a horseshoe back wrapping into the arms, 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.Back and arms are a single length of steam-bent beech, closed into a horseshoe and finished in two rounded ends. The vertical splats sit between that hoop and the seat. The lower ring ties the four legs.The beech has darkened to a deep walnut tone, the varnish worn at the seat edges and at the feet. The use marks concentrate where the hand grips the back. The patina is even and there are no repaints. The set is complete and stable.It works around a dining table, and equally on its own as a desk chair or in a reading corner. The wrapping back gives it a presence a side chair does not have. See less