Bentwood Furniture

Q: I have three bentwood chairs made by Fischel that were commissioned in Czechoslovakia for the first big hotel in New York City. The seats have carved inlay. What’s the value of a Fischel chair?

A: Bentwood furniture was invented by Michael Thonet, who was granted patents for his invention in England, France, and Belgium in 1841. When the patents expired in 1871, David Gabriel Fischel founded D.G. Fischel Sons in Niemes, Czechoslovakia, and began making bentwood furniture. Fischel’s son, Alexander, had worked at Thonet Bros. By 1913, the company was also working in Vienna. The company was still working in the 1920s. Plain chairs sell for about $50-$70, armchairs for twice as much.