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.
 
An excellent antique dining set comprising 4 x Michael Thonet designed No. 11 bergere chairs with a matching bergere sided table – circa 1910-1914
 
It’s very rare to find 4 matching antique Thonet designed chairs with the bergere backs alongside a table with matching bergere work from around the same period, especially in such fine vintage condition. 
 
The Thonet No. 11 chair was first designed around 1860 and was a development of earlier designs to incorporate a bergere back. This makes it far more comfortable than the first designs of Thonet chairs and if you have ever sat in one of the classic Thonet bistro chairs without a back you’ll fully appreciate this. Functional they may be, and whilst they are even now still incredibly popular in bistros throughout the world comfort was not a selling point. The No. 11 however, offers back support where you need it and the bergere work is firm but yielding enough to offer a far better sitting experience – an additional adaptation of the No.11 incorporated bentwood scrolled carver arms. The matching table has a dark stained top and a similar sweep to the bentwood legs and matching bergere work along each side. It would comfortably seat 6 people.
 
Gebrüder Thonet was founded in 1849 and in 1850 Michael Thonet produced his No. 1 chair and in 1859 the famous chair No. 14– also known as Konsumstuhl No. 14 - this design became so famous as a coffee shop staple, that it was called the "chair of chairs" and is still produced today. Michael Thonet patented the bentwood method of furniture manufacturing in 1856 and became the first mass producer of furniture in the world, light years ahead of Ikea!
 
After the patent expired in 1870, two other manufacturers Mundus and Kohn exploited the designs to produce their own line of bentwood furniture. By the turn of the century bentwood chairs were being produced in huge numbers throughout France, Poland and Austria. Strategic mergers led to consolidation of Thonet and its competitors with Mundus and Kohn merging in 1914 and later consolidated with Thonet in 1922. 
 
Thonet’s largest manufacturing base outside of Germany was in Radomsko, Poland which had a history of fine carpentry work dating back to the 14th Century. In 1910 Zakład Produkcji Mebli Giętych (ZPM Radomsko) was created and produced Thonet designed chairs until the 1st world war. On this basis any furniture bearing the ZPM Radomsko label would generally relate to Thonet designs produced around 1910-1914. This was because the factory was destroyed in the war and subsequently was rebuilt in the difficult financial conditions that preceded the Great Depression, which unfortunately led to the company’s collapse in the 1930s.
 
Overall the chairs and table are in very good antique condition and show only a few repairs to the bergere work here and there, a small indentation in the bergere seats and natural patina and wear to the woodwork and table top. The set has purposely been left in its original antique condition as this beautifully represents the 100 years of its history. The set could however, be easily fully restored more fully if required after purchase as there are no major defects and all the joints in the woodwork are sound and true. 
 
Buying
As every item is different we deal with each purchase on an individual basis. If you're interested in purchasing or making an offer on an item please contact us either by phone on +44 (0) 3300 535067 or by email via our contact page HERE.
​
Our checkout uses PayPal to add buyer protection and also allows payments vai all major credit cards as well PayPal itself. All items shown in stock will normally be ready for dispatch within 1-3
business days.