Thonet Bentwood Rocking Chair, c. 1960s-1970s

Michael Thonet (1796-1871) is known as the German-Austrian inventor of the process of bentwood production, recognized by flowing, lightweight forms.

He first opened his furniture cabinetry workshop in 1819 in a rural Austrian town, where in 1830, he experimented with bending steamed wood to create furniture.

The wood is heated with water vapour and then bent into the desired shape, which gives the pieces their particular charm.  

In 1853, he founded the the Austrian company ‘Gebrueder Thonet’.  Mihael Thonet received a patent in 1856 for the process of bentwood manufacturing, when he and his five sons began to produce innovative ‘bentwood’ furniture.

This particular model was most likely manufactured in the 1960s-1970s.