Bentwood & Handwoven Rattan Swivel Chair • Model 5501

Black lacquered bentwood & handwoven rattan (cane) swivel chair with beautiful sculptured armrests. You can easily adjust the height. The design was first mentioned in 1866. Model number 5501. Marked.

Thonet's essential breakthrough was his success in having light strong wood bent into curved graceful shapes by forming the wood in hot steam.

Michael Thonet’s sons joined the company Gebrüder Thonet in Vienna in 1853. From 1856 till 1881 the brothers opened nine furniture factories in the Eastern Countries: 3 in Hungary, 5 in Czechoslovakia & 1 in Radomsko, Poland (1881). In the aftermath of World War II the factories were nationalised by the socialist governments. Radomsko later chanced his name to Fameg and still exists.

In the early years of the 20th century Gebrüder Thonet also began producing designs in bent tubular steel by Bauhaus masters like Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe & Mart Stam. Thonet pieces can be found in museum collections around the world.