Set of 12 Fledermaus dining chairs by Josef Hoffmann
Rare set of 12 ‘Fledermaus’ or ‘Bat’ dining chairs ,designed by Josef Hoffmann in 1907. This edition was a licensed production by Wittmann in Austria in the 1970s. The original design by Hoffmann was produced by the Kohn Brothers for the art deco cabaret and bar ‘Fledermaus’ in Vienna. The high quality fabric and use of steam-bent bentwood show some excellent workmanship. The runners and sferes are typical style elements used by Hoffmann. The beechwood is stained dark with reddish tones. Fully original and in very good condition, there’s few signs of use on the wood and the original upholstery. All chairs are labeled by Wittmann underneath the seats. To find a set of 12 of these chairs in this condition is very rare.
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Dimensions:
W: 50 cm
D: 45 cm
H: 75 cm
Seating H: 46 cm
Weight: approx. 6 kilo/ chair
Material: Solid beech wood, fabric
A ‘gesammtkunstwerk’ or ‘total work of art’, that is what Josef Hoffman and his colleagues from the Wiener Werkstätte or Vienna Workshop intended with the cabaret Fledermaus. The cabaret, that opened it’s doors in a basement in Vienna in 1907, was an interior project, including décor, furniture, textiles, lighting and programmation, all brought together by different artists.
The walls and bar were decorated with over 7000 different colourful ceramic tiles and the furniture was designed by Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956). He was not only an influental Austrian architect and designer, Hoffman played a key role in the Vienna Secession movement, which broke completely with traditional academic art and promoted a more modern aesthetic, rooted in unity, simplicity, and functionality.
Born in Brtnice, Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), Hoffmann studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under the guidance of Otto Wagner, a pioneer of modernist architecture. This education profoundly shaped his approach to design, emphasizing rationality and clear structure.
In collaboration with artist Koloman Moser and industrialist Fritz Waerndorfer Hoffman started the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903. The objective was to bring together architects, artists and craftsmen with the goal of integrating fine and applied arts in the concept of a Gesamtkunstwerk, where all aspects of design, from architecture to furniture, textiles, and decorative objects, were harmonized into a unified whole.
Hoffman was dedicated to high-quality craftsmanship, geometric precision and the conviction that also everyday objects could and should be beautiful and thoughtfully designed.
His architectural and design style evolved from the more ornamental forms of Art Nouveau to a cleaner, more geometric language. Hoffmann favored symmetry, grids, and simple, repeated motifs, most famously the square, which became a signature element in many of his works.
One of his most celebrated projects is the Stoclet Palace (1905–1911) in Brussels, a luxurious private residence commissioned by Belgian banker Adolphe Stoclet. This house exemplified Hoffmann’s holistic design approach, featuring coordinated architecture, furniture, and decorative elements, including mosaics by Gustav Klimt. Another notable project, the Sanatorium Purkersdorf near Vienna, displayed Hoffmann’s commitment to functionality, hygiene, and clarity, hallmarks of modernist design.
Besides his practice, Hoffmann was professor for years at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, where he influenced generations of architects and designers. His ideas helped lay the foundations for movements such as Bauhaus and Art Deco and his influence on modern design is still being felt.
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