Seating Machine attributed to Prof. Josef Hoffmann, 1905

About This Piece

Vintage Design

Armchair (“sitting machine” / “Morris armchair”) by Prof. Josef Hoffmann. Model number 670 (J.J.Kohn). Unfortunately there is no label/brand. The design is therefore unknown (but the object was probably built around 1910/1915). It is made of beech bow/plywood, has a brass rod & two seat cushions. The seat machine has visible signs of age-related wear. A restoration wouldn't hurt - I could organize that.

The dimensions in cm (H x W x D x SH x SB x ST): 108 x 63 x 83 x 27-40 x 50 x 53

Literature: Modern building forms - monthly magazines for architecture, M. J. Gradl, 1908 / p. 370 "Allegedly Loos, allegedly Hoffmann" Notes on the bentwood furniture of Viennese modernism, Sebastian Hackenschmidt, Wolfgang Thillmann, pp. 22-24 / Wagner, Hoffmann, Loos and the Viennese Modernism, Eva B. Ottilinger, 2018, p. 54 / Bent Wood - Constructive Designs Vienna 1840-1910, p. 78 / Wiener Werkstätte, Gabriele Fahr-Becker, Taschen, 1903-1932, p. 35 / Il mobile moderno , Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, Jacob & Josef Kohn, Giovanni Renzi, 2008, pp. 160-163 / Jacob & Josef Kohn, catalog 1904 & 1907, Éditions Volutes1900, p. 100 / Jacob & Josef Kohn, catalog 1907

Prof. Josef Hoffmann designed an adjustable armchair for the Purkersdorf sanatorium, which was later mass-produced by the Jacob & Josef Kohn company. As early as 1901, Hoffmann had clearly formulated his views on material honesty and functionality in his work “Simple Furniture”: “I think that above all you should take into account the respective purpose and the material. The sense of good proportions and the innate tact in choosing the means will automatically determine the value.” The well thought-out and functional structure of this piece of furniture is particularly evident in the so-called seating machine, as the armchair is also called. It has an adjustable backrest, a partially extendable board for putting your feet up and a newspaper compartment under the seat. For the first time, the construction itself was made the central principle. The “Morrisfauteuil”, as the seat machine is sometimes called, a comfortable armchair with an adjustable backrest, is associated with William Morris (1834–1896), a co-founder of the English Arts and Crafts movement. Morris had produced a design by William Watt in the 1880s that became known as the “Morris Chair.” In 1903, the Gebrüder Thonet company produced a richly decorated armchair with an adjustable backrest and published it in their “Thonet Central Anzeiger, 1903, Volume 3, p. 6”. Josef Hoffmann's famous sitting machine, which was produced by J. & J. Kohn from 1906 and presented at the 1908 art show in his country house, is also based on this model. Hoffmann's version is characterized by rectangular and geometric bentwood elements as well as decorative cut-out plywood back and side parts and is one of the most famous designs of Viennese modernism. It was/is exhibited as an art object in various exhibitions and museums: Milan Exhibition (April, 1906) / Imperial Royal Austrian Exhibition in London (1906) / Landhaus Josef Hoffmann (art show, 1908) / Leopold Museum in Vienna (since 2017 ) / Court Furniture Depot in Vienna / Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (inventory number: H3927) / Vitra Design Museum / The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (inventory number: 2004/2016) and much more.

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Creator	Josef Hoffmann
Design Period	1890 to 1919
Production Period	1890 to 1919
Identifying Marks	This piece is attributed to the above-mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark
Style	Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau
Detailed Condition	Worn — This vintage/antique item has visible damages, defects, or small missing parts. It may be in need of restoration.
Restoration and Damage Details	Light wear consistent with age and use, Heavy signs of use, Patina consistent with age and use, Sichtbare altersbedingte Gebrauchsspuren, Restaurierung empfohlen
SKU	ZNO-1968791
Materials	Beech, Bentwood, Brass, Plywood, Textile
Color	Brown
Width	63 cm 63 cm
Depth	63 cm 63 cm
Height	108 cm 108 cm

Shipping & Delivery

Ships from	Austria
Returns	Returns accepted within fourteen days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items

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Delivery Options

Front Door Delivery: (Included in Every Order)	A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below). The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.
In-Home Delivery: (For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)	A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers. The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.

Front Door Delivery:
(Included in Every Order)

A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below).
The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

In-Home Delivery:
(For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)

A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers.
The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine every order upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damage or missing or incorrect pieces, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations of missing, damaged, or incorrect item(s) represents your acceptance of the complete order in perfect condition.

About the Creator

Josef Hoffmann

Architect-designer Josef Hoffmann was born in 1870 in Prinitz, Moravia (now Brtnice, the Czech Republic). He studied architecture at the Senior State Commercial and Technical School in Brünn (now Brno, Czech Republic). After a year of practice in Würzburg, Germany, he moved to Vienna, the city where he would remain for the rest of his life. He enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts there, and, between 1892 and 1895, studied under both Karl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner. From 1896 to 1897, he worked in Wagner’s Vienna studio. He also became one of the founding members of the Vienna Secession, a group of artists (including Gustav Klimt, Carl Moll, and others) who favored a modern, experimental approach to the arts. Hoffman’s contributions to several Secession exhibition installations, all influenced by the Art Nouveau-Jugendstil style, helped establish his name. In 1899, he was appointed a professor at Vienna’s Kunstgewerbeschule, a position he held until his retirement in 1936. He taught in the school’s architecture, metalwork, enamel, and applied art departments.

Around 1900, Hoffmann became a proponent of the Gesamtkunstwerk (or total work of art) approach, exemplified through unified architecture and interior design, with an emphasis on craftsmanship. He was cofounder and co-artistic director, alongside Koloman Moser, for the new Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops) beginning in 1903. In 1905, he left the Secession, and received the commission to design the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Completed in 1911, the Stoclet was arguably Hoffmann’s most important architectural project.

Throughout his prolific 50-year career, Hoffmann designed everything from textiles to furniture, fashion, jewelry, exhibitions, and buildings for prestigious clients like Lobmeyr and Lötz. Later in his life, he focused primarily on housing projects. Aesthetically, his work evolved from Jugendstil to more minimal, geometric forms and then on toward neoclassicism.

He died in Vienna in 1956.