attributed to Josef Hoffmann for Thonet

Ebonized bentwood
Microsuede reupholstery

W. 19.5 in
H. 26.5 in
D. 20.75 in
Seat H. 18 in

c. 1950-1979

This chair is a late variant on the iconic 1906 Model No. 728, designed by Josef Hoffmann (contemporary research also co-credits his colleague Gustav Siegel) and produced by J. & J. Kohn. Hoffmann used it as seating in his design of The Fledermaus Cabaret that opened in the heart of Vienna in late October 1907. “Instead of the red plush and gilded plaster common at the time, the first guests discovered an interior of ‘delectable intimacy and noblesse’.”

The Wiener Werkstätte supplied the interior furnishings. In this undertaking headed by Josef Hoffmann, it once again succeeded in developing a coherent style for all interior design elements, even down to the most mundane objects. Among the salient design characteristics was a reduced repertoire of forms and colors, paired with stark contrasts.

Kohn produced several variants of the Cabaret Fledermaus suite, as did Thonet later on, with Model No. 728 maintaining popularity as both as mass seating and for domestic interiors. The form – at once light and solid, austere and elegant – made it a shining example of modern Viennese style. [source]

The Vienna Secession formed in April of 1897 when a number of members within the Association of Austrian Artists departed in frustration. The movement comprised artists, architects, and designers who had grown tired of dated, nineteenth-century philosophies and styles. They set out on their own and put forward new, profoundly modern forms of beauty that also embraced a more honest and timeless assessment of human nature. At the time, the Association of Austrian Artists was the primary cultural voice in the country, who maintained the otherwise popular, traditional tenants of historicism (the constant reference to the past in art), positivism (a focus on that which can be rationally or scientifically proven), realism (a focus on art that creates an illusion of reality), and the commercialism of art (the idea that artists were working strictly for profit, rather than a more noble calling).

Josef Hoffmann was a leading figure in the Viennese Seccession movement, contributing to the visual voice and setting new design standards for the city across architecture, furniture, textiles, lighting, jewelry, and tableware. In 1903, he and two others established The Wiener Werkstätte, or Vienna Workshop, a production collective that brought together architects, artists, designers, and artisans working in ceramics, fashion, silver, furniture, and the graphic arts. The Workshop was "dedicated to the artistic production of utilitarian items in a wide range of media, including metalwork, leatherwork, bookbinding, woodworking, ceramics, postcards and graphic art, and jewelry." Pioneering modern design, it was the first organization in Austria dedicated to the production of modern decorative arts, and its influence is seen in later styles including Bauhaus and Art Deco. [source]

Believed to be an authentic Thonet, reissued after 1950 as the style became popular again, this chair has concealed Phillips screws, finger joinery, and new microsuede upholstery. No makers marks or labels.