Bentwood Furniture vs. Iron Furniture 
The question as to whether the design of the 
bentwood chairs was oriented towards early 
chairs made of iron in terms of form and motifs, 
or if these-conversely-in fact copied the 
shapes of bentwood furniture, has not yet been 
clarified. It is only in the case of the rocking 
chairs that one can say with certainty that it 
wasn't until the invention of the solid wood 
bending process in 1860 that this furniture 
type could be executed in bentwood, while 
corresponding designs made of iron are to be 
dated earlier.' Bent iron chairs-first flat iron, 
later iron bars and pipes-were also made in 
the first half of the 19th Century, before the first 
bentwood furniture; However, the character- 
istic backrest motifs of the bentwood chairs 
can be found increasingly in chairs made of 
round iron, starting from the 1860s. 2 Presum- 
ably, this can be taken as an indication that 
the manufacturers of iron chairs had taken over 
the design repertoire of the successful bent 
wood furniture. While mass-produced bent 
wood furniture could meet the demand for 
cheap seating for semi-public interiors-such 
as pubs and cafes-the ironworks, also mass- 
produced in industrial quantities, “covered the 
enormous needs of large cities for their public 
spaces and gardens in a simple and inexpen- 
sive way." 3 And as Georg Himmelheber wrote 
in his book on iron furniture, “the infinitely varied 
possibilities of iron" could, as with the bent 
wood furniture, “just as easily lead to lapses 
in taste, as to top performances in the purely 
functional thinking of the designers.” 4 
1 Cf. Chiara Carafa Renzi / Giovanni Renzi / Wolfgang Thillmann, 
sedie a dondolo thonet / Thonet rocking chairs, Milan 2006. 
2 Cf. Georg Himmelheber, Möbel aus Eisen, Munich 1996. 
3 Ibid., 55. 
4 Ibid., 52. 
Gartensessel (nach Thonet-Sessel Nr. 14) Garden Chair (after Thonet Chair No. 14) 
Ausführung Execution: unbekannt unknown, Wien Vienna, um ca. 1870; 
Eisenrohr, gebogen; Eisenblech, gelocht Bent iron pipe, perforated iron sheet; 
MAK/ H 2617/1981; Schenkung Donation Inge Zerunian 
Fauteuil Nr. 14 Armchair No. 14 
Entwurf Design: Gebrüder Thonet, um ca. 1870 
Ausführung Execution: Gebrüder Thonet, Koritschan Korycany, Radomsk, um ca. 1890; 
Buche, massiv gebogen, Geflecht Beech, solid bent, cane; MAK H 2195/1969; 
Schenkung Bundeskammer der gewerblichen Wirtschaft Donation Federal 
Chamber of Commerce 
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