Domestication Research

The chairs belong to the bentwood tradition established by Michael Thonet in the nineteenth century. Their exact manufacturer remains unknown, but a surviving "Made in Czechoslovakia" label places their production between 1918 and 1992. The chairs retain numerous traces of manual production, including hand-drilled holes, irregular assembly, and small dimensional differences between matching components. These details suggest manufacture before the widespread adoption of modern power tools and point toward a pre-Second World War origin.

The chairs were originally intended for public interiors such as cafés and restaurants. Their uncommon interwoven backrest pattern differs from more utilitarian bentwood models and reflects a willingness to experiment within a highly standardized manufacturing system. Unlike Thonet's famous No. 14, which became an icon of industrial efficiency by allowing 36 chairs to be packed into a single cubic meter, this design pushes bentwood construction beyond pure utility. The elaborate backrest sacrifices some structural robustness in favor of visual expression, producing a chair that is both elegant and unusually delicate.