'B 263' Cantilever Chairs by Mart Stam for Thonet, Germany, 1932

Pair of Model B 263 cantilever chairs by Mart Stam for Thonet, dating to 1932. The design is defined by a continuous tubular steel frame that eliminates the conventional rear legs, allowing the seat to appear suspended within a remarkably economical structure. Black lacquered wooden seats and gently curved backrests provide a strong graphic contrast to the chrome-plated steel, while the restrained construction gives the chairs their characteristic clarity and lightness.

Mart Stam was one of the key figures in the development of the cantilever chair, introducing his pioneering rear-legless seating experiments in the second half of the 1920s. Thonet subsequently became closely associated with the production of tubular steel furniture by Stam and other leading modernist designers. The B 263 belongs to this important period of experimentation, when industrial materials and rational construction fundamentally reshaped European furniture design. The present pair retains visible traces of age and use to both the lacquered wood and metal surfaces, contributing to their authentic vintage character. Priced individually.