Pair of Thonet-style chairs in bent wood with a curved board backrest – Central Europe, circa 1920

This pair of Thonet-style chairs made of steam-bent beech features a curved backrest made from a single piece of bent wood, supported by lower rungs and arched legs. The round seat has a central engraved pattern. Central Europe, circa 1920. Attributed to the Thonet tradition or the Central European bentwood school (notably Jacob & Josef Kohn or Fischel), this piece exhibits the formal and constructive characteristics of early 20th-century Viennese bentwood, although no markings allow for a definitive attribution. The bentwood seating of the Viennese Secession covered all registers: café models, dining chairs, office chairs. This variant with a solid backrest—instead of the usual vertical rungs—was associated with somewhat more formal uses and bourgeois domestic interiors. Details. Materials and techniques: Steam-bent beech; backrest made from a single piece of bent wood; engraved round seat. Place of origin: Central Europe. Period: Viennese Secession. Date of manufacture: Circa 1920. Dimensions: Piece #1: Length 44 cm × Depth 47 cm × Height 91 cm (seat 49 cm) · Piece #2: Length 43 cm × Depth 43 cm × Height 89 cm (seat 48 cm) Condition: Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Manufacturer's labels not retained.