No. 811 Bentwood Chair – Black Stained Beechwood with Woven Cane Back

• Design & Origins

  • Designed by Michael Thonet’s company in the 1920s

  • Sometimes called the “Prague Chair”

  • Often attributed to Josef Hoffmann, but more likely designed by Josef Frank

  • First introduced as the A64F, which featured a different version of front legs than later models

• Historical Significance

  • One of the first bentwood chairs to be offered in various colored finishes

  • Became one of Thonet’s most popular 20th-century designs

  • Still widely used by designers worldwide today

• Bentwood Innovation

  • In the 1840s, Michael Thonet began experimenting with steam-bent wood

  • Over 20 years, he and his sons developed processes and machines to mass-produce bentwood furniture

  • Created the now-classic bentwood form:

    • Backrest and back legs made from a single bent piece

    • Rounded cane or laminated seat

    • Front legs connected on different planes – only achievable through bending wood

  • By the 1850s, Thonet’s bentwood styles had become mainstream and unmatched in variety

• Production

  • Made in the Czech Republic by Ton

• Dimensions

  • Height: 31 ½”

  • Depth: 21”

  • Width: 17 ¾”

  • Seat Height: 18 ¼”

• Materials

  • Frame: Solid natural beechwood with a black stained finish

  • Seat: Woven cane

  • Back: Woven cane