Rare and exceptional ebonised and natural beech bentwood embossed antique bench attributed to J.& J. Kohn circa 1902. 
 
PLEASE NOTE - this item has now been sold. If you're looking for something similar please get in touch and we'll do our best to help. 
 
Whilst it’s difficult to establish the exact model number of this bench it does have striking similarities to the model number 67 bench first shown in the Jacob and Joseph Kohn catalogue in 1902. It is however, finer and more beautiful in both the construction and the embossing of the plywood seat and back. It’s also actually slightly taller and wider than the Model 67 but has a more delicate aesthetic by virtue of the cutaways either side of the back and also because it doesn’t use the hoop stretcher that in the Model 67 connects the legs on either side of the frame together. On this basis it has more feeling of space and an open seating position that the 67 lacks.
 
In any event it’s a beautiful and striking bench that is no doubt part of the Vienna Secession movement that came out of Austria at the turn of the 19th/20th Century which later became more familiarly known under the term of Art Nouveau. Founded in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists, sculptors, architects and furniture makers the group developed a style that emphasised quasi-symbolic references to new and more organic forms of modernity; the group included many well known and familiar figures of the time including Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Otto Wagner and Gustav Klimt.
 
The bench is in very good antique condition and features an ebonised frame that supports the embossed, more natural blonde coloured, plywood seat and back. There are various knocks and marks as you would expect given it is close to being over 120 years old and a few small areas that look like they have been partially filled with wax. In addition there are some slight splits in the bentwood frame as often happens when the wood dries out over the years, but none affect the structural integrity of the piece – all marks mentioned are highlighted within the series of photos that accompany this description. 
 
 
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