Chair (for Pukersdorf Sanatorium, near Vienna, Austria) (Primary Title)
Chair, for Dining Room, Puchersdorf Sanatorium, near Viennea (Former Title)

Josef Hoffmann, Austrian, 1870 - 1956 (Artist)
Wiener Werkstätte, Austrian (Vienna), 1903 - 1932 (Commissioned by)
Jacob and Josef Kohn, Austrian, 1867 - 1914 (Manufacturer)

ca. 1904
Austrian
beechwood, leather
Overall: 38 3/4 × 17 1/2 × 17 in. (98.43 × 44.45 × 43.18 cm)
72.18
Mass-produced bentwood furniture was among the most important developments in furniture design in the late 19th century. Following Michael Thonet’s 1830 steam-process experimentation, Jacob and Josef Kohn made this chair according to Josef Hoffmann’s design. Hoffmann, a leading architect and designer in Vienna, was commissioned by the Wiener Werkstätte between 1903 and 1906 to design the Pürkersdorf Sanatorium and its interiors and furnishings; the sanatorium was a fashionable spa that catered to people suffering nervous ailments. This chair is one of about 80 that was made for the dining room. The geometric forms Hoffman used in this commission, was a design element that would appear regular in his mature work.
Sydney and Frances Lewis Art Nouveau Fund
"Art Nouveau," VMFA Artmobile, Sept 1972-May 1975;

"Mackintosh to Mollino: Fifty Years of Chair Design," Barry Friedman Ltd., NY, Nov 13, 1984-Feb 13, 1985;

©artist or artist’s estate

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