Petite #17 Bentwood Bench
Thonet, Circa 1860

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Description:

An antique Model Number 17 bench by Thonet, Austria.
The petite steam-bent high back settee was designed circa 1860 by Michael Thonet. It has been suggested that the design of the bench's back was influenced by the lancet windows of the Crystal Palace.1
The Model 17 featured, in many variations, for the first time in Thonet’s second catalogue, published 1866, and was displayed at the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition.
The chair available at Sigmar was most probably made circa 1910. The seat has been newly upholstered whilst the back retains the original handwoven cane. The most eye-catching yet sophisticated detail is the interplay of rounded shapes in the back -especially the sumptuous circle of bent wood at the top.

Specifications:

Width: cm
Height: cm
Depth: cm
Seat Height: cm
Materials: Beech, cane, cotton
Date of Design: Circa 1860
Date of Manufacture: Circa 1910
Designer: Michael Thonet
Maker: Gebrüder Thonet
Country of Origin: Austria

Footnote:

1, Giovanna Massobrio & Paolo Portoghesi, La Seggiola di Vienna (Turin: Martano Editore, n.d.), p.34.