Bentwood chair
probably Michael Thonet (1796-1871)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1880
Materials
Beech, leatherette, horsehair
Measurements
83 cm (H); 66 cm (W); 51 cm (D)
Place of origin
Austria
Order this imageCollection
Speke Hall, Merseyside
NT 1195769
Summary
A 'bentwood' beech open armchair or desk chair, probably by Michael Thonet (1796–1871) Austria, late 19th century. With a semi-circular back rail with faux leather padded arm rests, circular padded seat on four slightly splayed legs and a circular stretcher.
Full description
Michael Thonet was born in Boppard am Rhein, Prussia, and trained as a traditional cabinet-maker. In the 1830s, as an alternative to the laborious technique of carving, he began bending wood to create furniture. In 1855 Thonet made a key technological breakthrough. After years of bending laminated wood, he discovered that by attaching a metal strip along its length, solid wood could be bent in a similar way. This eliminated the costly lamination process and earned patents guaranteeing a virtual monopoly on production. In 1857 Thonet built a new factory in Koritschan in the Moravian forests (in what was then Austro-Hungary) with a ready supply of beech wood, plenty of cheap labor and access to important rail links. The firm went on to mass-produce ‘bentwood’ furniture in unprecedented numbers, manufacturing up to 1.8 million pieces a year by 1912. James Weedon (December 2018)
Provenance
Speke Hall and its contents were bequeathed, as a secondary devise, to the National Trust by Adelaide Watt (d.1921) in 1943. Speke was initially bequeathed to the Norris family (who built the original house during the 16th century). It was then leased to Liverpool City Council and later to the Museums Department of Merseyside County Council. The National Trust took over direct management of the house and its contents in 1986.
Makers and roles
probably Michael Thonet (1796-1871), furniture manufacturer