Graceful Pair of Bentwood Café Chairs with Heart-Form Backs Circa 1900

A graceful pair of bentwood café chairs, circa 1900, likely Austrian or French. Each features an open oval back with mirrored inner scrolls resolving into a heart. The frames are steam-bent beech, stained a warm walnut brown, with seats in woven cane. Tapered, splayed legs and a hoop stretcher complete the light, airy silhouette. The cane is in very good condition, having been restored recently; the wood surfaces are timeworn, with scattered scuffs and a mellow patina. While no maker’s marks are visible, the design is firmly in the manner of Thonet. With age and use the frames have lost some stability, making them now best suited for decorative display or very light use.

These chairs belong to the lineage of Viennese bentwood pioneered by Michael Thonet in the mid nineteenth century, where steam‑bent beech allowed strong yet lightweight forms for cafés and domestic interiors. Around 1890 to 1910, designers embraced flowing lines and organic scrolls associated with Art Nouveau, and heart‑shaped backs appeared as a charming variant on the classic looped models. Cane seats provided comfort, ventilation, and economy, and unmarked examples were produced by numerous workshops across Austria‑Hungary and Germany, closely following the celebrated Thonet vocabulary.

Their delicate scale and lyrical backs make them delightful in a bedroom beside a dressing table or flanking a small chest, as accent chairs in a hallway, or paired under a console to anchor a vignette. In a sitting room they bring a light, sculptural note near a window or fireplace, and their airy cane partners well with wicker, linen, and pale woods. Given their timeworn frames and reduced stability, they are best reserved for decorative display or occasional, gentle seating.

Condition and patina consistent with age.
Each measures approx. 35¾" high x 16½" wide x 17¾" deep. Seat is 19" high
Each measures approx. 91cm high x 42cm wide x 45cm deep. Seat is 48cm high