Thonet Bentwood Rocking Chair
Mid-20th Century American Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Late 19th Century Polish Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Bentwood
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Antique 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Bentwood, Cane
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Cane, Bentwood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Beech
Antique 1880s Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Leather, Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Late 19th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s German Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Bentwood
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s European Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
Antique 19th Century Austrian Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Leather
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech, Paint
Antique Mid-19th Century German Belle Époque Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Romanian Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Beech
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood, Rattan
Antique Mid-19th Century Austrian Belle Époque Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
Antique Early 19th Century Hungarian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Straw, Bentwood
Antique 1880s English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Antique 1890s Czech Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Rattan, Beech
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Beech, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Cane, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Czech Bauhaus Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century Art Nouveau Chaise Longues
Wood
Vintage 1930s Slovak Vienna Secession Children's Furniture
Rattan, Bentwood
Vintage 1920s Czech Vienna Secession Children's Furniture
Rattan, Beech, Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Slovak Vienna Secession Children's Furniture
Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Austrian Jugendstil Armchairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Cane
Antique 18th Century German Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Antique 19th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Austrian Jugendstil Rocking Chairs
Beech, Bentwood, Braid
Antique 1890s Austrian Late Victorian Lounge Chairs
Metal
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Chaise Longues
Bentwood
20th Century Austrian Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Cane
Vintage 1940s Austrian Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Cane
20th Century Austrian Rocking Chairs
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Rocking Chairs
Cane, Beech
Vintage 1930s French Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
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Thonet Bentwood Rocking Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Thonet Bentwood Rocking Chair?
Finding the Right Rocking-chairs for You
The phrase “rocking chair” didn’t find its way into the dictionary until the mid-18th century. While most of the sitting furniture that we use in our homes originated in either England or France, the iconic rocking chair is a quintessentially American piece of furniture.
A Philadelphia cabinetmaker’s bill for a proto-rocking chair issued in 1742, which identified the seat as a “Nurse Chair with rockers,” is the earliest surviving evidence of this design’s humble beginnings. The nurse chair was a low side chair intended for nursing women, so giving it a soothing rocking motion made sense. Rocking chairs, which saw a curved slat affixed to the chairs’ feet so that they could be literally rocked, quickly gained popularity across the United States, garnering a reputation as a seat that everyone could love. They offered casual comfort without the expensive fabrics and upholstery that put armchairs out of many families’ budgets.
Rocking chairs are unique in that they don’t just offer a place to rest — they offer an opportunity to reminisce. The presence of one of these classic pieces stirs up our penchant for nostalgia and has the power to transform a space. They easily introduce a simple country feel to the city or bring the peaceful rhythm of a porch swing into a sheltered sunroom. Although craftsmen took to painting and stenciling varieties of the chairs that emerged in New England during the 19th century, the most traditional rocking chairs are generally unadorned seats constructed with time-tested materials like wood and metal. As such, a minimalist vintage rocking chair can be ushered into any corner of your home without significantly disrupting your existing decor scheme or the room’s color palette.
In the decades since the first rocker, top designers have made the piece their own. Viennese chair maker Michael Thonet produced a series of rockers in the middle of the 19th century in which the different curved steam-bent wood parts were integrated into fluid, sinuous wholes. Mid-century modernists Charles and Ray Eames added wooden rockers to their famous plastic shell armchair, while Danish designer Frank Reenskaug opted for teak and polished beech, introducing pops of color with small cushions (a precursor to the bold works that would follow in the 1970s and 1980s).
No matter your personal style, let 1stDibs pair you with your perfect seat. Deck out your porch, patio or parlor — browse the vintage, new and antique rocking chairs in our vast collection today.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To identify a Thonet rocking chair, look for the company name. You will normally find it stamped directly onto the underside of the seat, arms or legs. You can find a collection of expertly vetted Thonet rocking chairs on 1stDibs.
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