Michael Thonet

MICHAEL THONET (Boppard, Germany, 1796 - Vienna, 1871).
Thonet Bank. Austria, 1870-1883.
Curved wood and grille.
Good overall condition. Several previous restorations visible.
Measurements: 99 x 47 x 140 cm; 55 cm (depth).

Thonet bench, an outstanding exponent of Viennese Art Nouveau. Michael Thonet invented an own technique that allowed to curve the wood in a singular way, printing great plasticity and lightness, as it can be observed in this openwork back, next to the armrests in form of volutes and slight curve of the legs.
Michael Thonet was a furniture maker and industrialist, pioneer in furniture design and creator of wood bending techniques. From 1830 he experimented with new techniques for laminating and bending wood in order to obtain forms that avoided costly chisel and joinery systems. He gained more independence by acquiring a glue factory for his designs. His first success was the Bopparder Schichtholzstuhl ('Boppard chair') in 1836. At the Koblenz fair in 1841, he met Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, who confessed to being enthusiastic about his furniture and invited him to the Viennese court. The following year, Thonet presented his designs to the imperial family and after selling his establishment decided to move to Vienna with his family. There he worked with his sons on the interior decoration of the Liechtenstein Palace. Thonet patented a system for hot bending wood in 1841. The patented invention, which enabled him to improve his industrial organization, consisted of subjecting sheets of wood soaked in glue to the heat and humidity produced by steam in order to obtain a compact, elastic and flexible mass, which was then pressed and shaped into special forms. Once the necessary degree of cooling had been reached, the molds were removed and the wood was presented ready in the size and pattern corresponding to the pieces of the various pieces of furniture, which were then assembled in a very simple manner, by means of screws. In 1849 he founded the company Gebrüder Thonet near Vienna. In 1850 he produced his Number 1 chair. The London International Fair of 1851 awarded him the bronze medal for his Vienna bentwood chair, which marked his international launch. At the next international fair in Paris in 1855, he was awarded the silver medal. In 1856 he opened a new factory in Kory?any, Moravia.