Thonet Boppard Chair

by Stable MARK

Before Vienna, before No. 14—there was the Boppard chair: the design that turned wood-bending from experiment into technique.

Side view of two early Thonet chairs, one ornate Boppard chair and one simpler version, showing laminated curved wood construction. — Image: Side view of a Boppard chair and a simplified Boppard variant by Michael Thonet, c. 1836–1840. Early use of laminated, mould-bent wood.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work.

This article outlines the origins, construction, and design features of the Boppard chair, with images showing key variations from Thonet’s early production.

Table of Contents

Origins and Context Construction and Materials Form and Dimensions Process History and Variants

Origins and Context

Developed by Michael Thonet in Boppard am Rhein c. 1836–1840, just before the 1842 move to Vienna, this so called "boppard chair" is the proving ground for later bentwood production. It shows how laminated, mould-bent frames could produce light, resilient seating fit for serial manufacture and points directly to later solid-beech steam-bent models such as No. 1 and No. 14.

Simplified Boppard chair by Thonet with gently curved legs and single carved backrest rail, showing early laminated wood construction. — Image: Side view of a simplified Boppard chair by Michael Thonet, with minimal bentwood elements and a single decorative back rail.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work.

Learn More Still curious about bentwood furniture? Click here to see Thonet rocking chair.

Construction and Materials

Construction uses narrow beech veneers boiled in glue, laminated into bundles, bent in heated moulds, and then veneered—typically walnut or mahogany, with rosewood on some runs. Side frames are commonly built from about five layers with varied thickness for load paths. Turned elements appear in rails and stretchers. Seats occur in rattan cane or upholstery.

Thonet Boppard Chair in walnut with laminated bent construction, mahogany veneer and cane seat, designed by Michael Thonet around 1836, produced in Vienna between 1842 and 1844. — Image: Thonet Boppard Chair, designed by Michael Thonet around 1836. Produced by Michael Thonet in Vienna, 1842–1844.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work.

Learn More Still curious about bentwood furniture? Click here to see Thonet Settee and Table or here to see Thonet Children and Doll Furniture.

Form and Dimensions

The form is defined by continuous S-curved side frames, a seat frame tied into those curves, looped laminated braces beneath the seat, and a thin back rail set into the bend. A representative museum example measures roughly H 85.5 × W 42.5 × D 50 cm; workshop variants differ slightly.

Side view of an early Thonet Boppard chair with curved laminated wood frame and carved double-rail backrest. — Image: Side view of a Boppard chair by Michael Thonet, designed around 1836, produced c. 1842–1844, showing laminated, mould-bent beech construction and decorative backrest elements.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work.

Learn More Still curious about bentwood furniture? Click here to see Thonet Chair and Armchair Model No. 1, 2 & 4 or here to see Thonet Chair and Armchair Model No. 7, 8, 11 & 12.

Process History and Variants

In process history, the chair precedes Thonet’s Austrian privilege of 16 July 1842 for chemical-mechanical wood bending and belongs to the glued-laminate phase that led to mid-1850s steam-bending of solid beech. Documented early “Boppard” patterns include at least two types (e.g., a “Model II” c. 1840/42) with laminated frames and walnut or rosewood face veneers.