Bentwood
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2013) |
Bentwoodobjects are those made by wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns.
In furniture making this method is often used in the production ofrocking chairs,cafe chairs, and other light furniture. The iconicNo. 14 chairbyThonetis a well-known design based on the technique. The process is in widespread use for making casual and informal furniture of all types, particularly seating and table forms. It is also a popular technique in the worldwide production of furniture with frames made of heavy cane, which is commonly imported into European and Western shops.
Bentwood boxesare a traditional item made by theFirst Nationspeople of the North American west coast including theHaida,Gitxsan,Tlingit,Tsimshian,Sugpiaq,Unangax,Yup'ik,InupiaqandCoast Salish.These boxes are generally made out of one piece of wood that is steamed and bent to form a box. Traditional uses of the boxes was varied and included storage of food goods, clothing and for burial. They were often without decoration while others were decorated elaborately. Today many are made for collectors and can be purchased from museums, gift shops and online sites as well as directly commissioned from the artists.[1][2][3][4]
TheAleut or Unangan Peopleof Alaska madehunting visors,calledchagudax,out of driftwood using the bentwood method. The visors were used by hunters who were in kayaks. They are said to help keep the sea spray off the face as well as improve hearing. They were often decorated with paints, beads, sea lion whiskers and ivory figurines.Andrew Gronholdtis credited with reviving the art of chagudax carving in the 1980s. Present day Unangan artists create chagudax for ceremonial purposes and offer them for sale to the public as well.[5][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Treasures Gallery - Bentwood storage boxes".Canadian Museum of Civilization.RetrievedNovember 28,2017.
- ^"Haida Gwaii…" Islands of the People "".Haida Heritage Centre.2010-09-15. Archived fromthe originalon December 1, 2017.RetrievedNovember 28,2017.
- ^"Collection Online: Bentwood".Museum of Anthropology at UBC.RetrievedNovember 28,2017.
- ^George MacDonald (1996).Haida Art.University of Washington Press.
- ^"Alaska Native Collections Smithsonian Institution".Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2022.Retrieved14 March2012.
- ^"Ancient Aleut Art of Making Bentwood Visors Showcased at Anchorage Museum".Archived fromthe originalon 21 July 2013.Retrieved14 March2012.
External links
[edit]
- AllWoodwork – Methods of Bending Wood
- FineWoodWorking – Skills and Techniques
- Taylor's Classics – The History and Popularity of Bentwood Furniture
- Thillmann Collection: The world's largest private collection of Thonet and bentwood furniture
- Woodweb – Rx For Bending Wood: Dr. Gene Wengert offers advice on bending solid lumber in production applications