Minneapolis Institute of Art

Side chair

Designer: Theophil Hansen

Date

c. 1870

Medium

Walnut and beech with modern velvet upholstery

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The playfully counter-curving back feet and the continuous bentwood decoration along the seat, the side rails, and the back of this chair are simplifying elements that are hallmarks of modern design. Hansen took advantage of the bentwood technology developed in the mid-1800s Vienna by the firm Gebruder Thonet, whose patents on steam-bending expired in 1869, making the technology widely available. However, he skillfully worked in aspects of historical styles: a classical anthemion, or decorative design of radiating petals, nestled just below the top rail, and fluted “columns” referencing Egyptian architecture that form the bottom of the chair’s feet. Austria, Europe

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