An attractive set of three early bentwood beech No. 14 bistro chairs by the Thonet chair company, with peacock seat design. Unfortunately the chairs lack the Thonet stamp but are certainly contemporary to the time, c. 1880s. 
 
The No. 14 was deisgned in the Austrian Empire by Micheal Thonet and introduced in 1859, becoming the world's first mass-produce item of furniture. Thonet's No. 14 comprises six pieces of steam-bent wood, ten screws, and two nuts. Later chairs, were made of eight pieces of wood: two diagonal braces were added between the seat and the back, to strengthen this hard-worked joint. It is for this reason we can age these chairs to be of one of Thonet's earliest as they do not include this brace. 
 
The No. 14 chair is widely regarded as a design classic. It earned a gold medal when it was shown at the 1867 World Exposition in Paris, and has been praised by many designers and architects, including Le Corbusier, who said "Never was a better and more elegant design and a more precisely crafted and practical item created."
 
There is some wear commensurate with age and use, but overall in superb condition. 
 
Measurements:
H: 87 cm
Seat height: 47.5 cm
W: 37 cm
D: 37 cm