Posts Tagged ‘karl friedrich schinkel’

19TH CENTURY GERMANY EMPIRE FURNITURE

ROYAL INFLUENCES
It was the Bonapartes themselves who really made Empire furniture fashionable in Germany. The Emperor’s brother, Jerome Bonaparte, became King of Westphalia in 1810, and he furnished the Schloss Wilhelmshohe with Empire-style pieces. These included pieces ordered from Georges Jacob-Desmalter (see p.201), and an imposing desk which was decorated with marble reliefs designed by
Friedrich Wichmann. In 1806, Napoleon had a suite of Empire furniture made for his Resident at Wurzburg, Franconia. These pieces were inspired by the work of French architects Percier and Fontaine, whose work Napoleon favoured. Their ISO] pattern book, Recueil de decorations interieurs comprenant tout ce qui a rapport a l`ameublement, was well received and highly influential in Germany, inspiring local craftsmen to produce their own publications.
WHEN NAPOLEON BONAPARTE became
ruler of Germany in 1806 he brought the Empire style to the region. Germany and Austria retained
close stylistic links with France, as many German
craftsmen trained and worked in Paris, and became familiar with the Empire style. The grand, Classical motifs
used in Empire style furniture, including eagles, mythical creatures, laurel
Gift bronze embellishes the interior fittings.
VIENNESE SECRETAIRE
This exquisite secretaire is made of fruitwood and mahogany. It has a lyre-shaped case which is decorated with partial inlay and gilding. The case has a single arched pediment, flanked on either side by gilded Classical figures. A rectangular, fall-front writing surface opens to reveal a fitted interior with an
arrangement of drawers and arched compartments, luxuriously decorated with gilt bronze. The lower section of the secretaire consists of two graduated drawers which are decorated to give the appearance of the strings of a lyre. The whole piece is raised on a rectangular plinth which is supported on carved paw feet. c.1807.
Fall-front writing surface
The body of the desk is modelled on a lyre.
The applied bronze decoration includes gilded stars and lion’s heads.
A rectangular plinth supports the piece.
Carved paw feet
VIENNESE GUERIDON
This mahogany-veneered and partially carved gueridon has an overhanging table top with a gilt-edged round frieze below. The three tapering legs are topped by lions’ heads and terminate in a tripartite base with paw feet. c.1810
BEECHWOOD CHAIR
This chair has a scrolled back and rose-coloured upholstery on both the back and seat. The chair has tapering front legs and cabriole back legs. The design is attributed to Leo von Klenze and the chair is thought to have come from the Resident in Munich. c.1818.
GERMAN INTERPRETATIONS German furniture was often larger and grander than its French Empire equivalents. Locally-produced pieces tended to have heavy columns and be rigidly symmetrical.
Empire furniture was predominantly a style for the nobility and was soon adopted by the rulers of the monarchies and princedoms that made up the German Confederation after the Vienna Congress in 1815. These rulers showed off their power by building new castles or by lavishly refurbishing existing ones, and the exuberant interiors of the palaces were designed in the Empire style.
Anterooms and throne rooms were furnished with gilded Empire pieces. Gifted court cabinet-makers produced various ensembles with matching sofa tables and console tables based on French designs or adapted from the fashion magazines that were popular at the time. Private rooms were furnished with mahogany pieces ornamented with gilt-bronze mounts. Decorative motifs were influenced by those of ancient Egypt.
Seating furniture was also directly inspired by the designs of the ancient world. The influence of the Greek Klismos chair, for example, can be seen in the chairs designed by Leo von
Klenze, who worked for the Bavarian King Ludwig I in Munich and whose Neoclassical buildings form much of the city of Munich today.
VIENNESE DESIGN
Vienna was a leading centre for the production of furniture. It was here that some of the most inventive designs were developed, including the lyre-secretaire, which often took on unusual shapes. Unlike the designers and craftsmen working in the German
states, Viennese designers favoured the striking contrast of ebonized wood and gilt bronze and created finely cast and chased gilt bronze mounts that equalled the work of French craftsmen.
One of the most gifted Viennese cabinet-makers was Josef Ulrich Danhauser. He ran the first Viennese furniture manufacturers, from 1804 until his death in 1829, and made his name by decorating his furniture with wood paste moulded to look like expensive bronzes.
This table has a rectangular top with rounded corners, which rests above a single frieze drawer. The piece is raised on sharply tapering, square-section legs. c.1810. H:77crn
AUSTRIAN CHERRY WOOD TABLE
KARL FRIEDRICH SCHINKEL (1781-1841)
THE MOST INFLUENTIAL GERMAN MASTER-BUILDER OF THE EARLY 19th CENTURY,
SCHINKEI_ WAS ALSO A CITY PLANNER AND ARTIST, AND A FAMOUS FURNITURE DESIGNER.
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was born near Berlin, and originally trained as an architect as one of the first students at the new Berlin Bouakademie. He studied under the architect Friedrich Gilly, whose plans for a monument to Frederick the Great of Prussia greatly inspired the young Schinkel.
He travelled to France and Italy, and was influenced by the Classical-style architecture and furnishings he saw. His theory was that new designs should draw on the ancient world for inspiration, rather than slavishly recreate it. On his return to Germany, he worked for the Prussian state, including working as a
stage designer for the National Theatre.
One of Schinkels earliest works was a bed with bedside table, designed for Queen Louise for the Charlottenburg castle in Berlin. His use of light-coloured veneers anticipated the Biedermeier style (see pp.216-17). He was not
afraid to experiment with shape and created pieces designed for specific places within a room. Typical Schinkel designs are for architectural secretaires and comfortable armchairs. His publication Vorbilder fur Fabrihanten and Handwerker (Role Models for Makers and Craftsmen) in 1835 had a widespread influence. In later years, Schinkels work drew less on the
Neoclassical style, and more on the designs of the Renaissance.
Schinkel armchair This generously upholstered armchair has a curvaceous frame with a high backrest and is decorated with motifs from the ancient world.
Schinkel in Naples This oil painting, by Franz Louis Catel, shows Karl Friedrich Schinkel in Naples in 1824 during his second Italian journey. 1824
This rectilinear commode is made from mahogany veneered with maple. It has canted corners and three drawers with ebony stringing. The commode is supported on square, tapering legs. Early 19th century.

empire antique hall bench
empire bohemia china
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empire chamber pot
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Berlin
The Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin (est. 1752) is best known for its superb porcelain made during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when Neo-classicism was at its height. At this time Prussia was one of the most powerful states in Europe, and it became even stronger after the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. Its prosperity -was reflected in the great building schemes undertaken in Berlin and Potsdam, and some of the finest Neo-classical architecture of the age was designed by German architects such as Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841). Schinkel and the leading sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow ( 1764-18-50) were among prominent Contemporary artists commissioned to design porcelain in the rich Empire style associated with Napoleon, and in the Biedermeier style, a simpler, heavier, Classical sty le popular with the German middle classes. In contrast to many other European factories, which concentrated on reviving 18th-century styles, the Berlin factory continued to manufacture innovative and stylish wares and figures throughout the century.
BEFORE 1840
In the early 19th century Berlin’s particular speciality was wares with finely tooled gilt borders and gilt-ground sections framing sumptuous paintings, creating an opulent effect. In contrast to the vignettes popular in the 18th century, these paintings were highly finished so as to imitate works in oil, and none of the white porcelain was left showing. The most popular painted subjects included profile portraits (sometimes silhouettes) within oval medallions, and Classical themes, but the factory is most renowned for its fine topographical views depicting such celebrated buildings in Berlin as the Royal Palace and the Opera, or the scenery around Potsdam. Topographical views generally feature on cups and saucers, plates, and vases (where they are sometimes titled) intended for display.
Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, was an enthusiastic patron of the factory, commissioning and even designing table services for his palaces in Berlin and Potsdam. This tradition continued under Frederick William III; after the defeat of Napoleon, the King ordered elaborate Neo-classical services for both Prussian and foreign generals in celebration of their victory. The most famous of these is the “Prussian” service made between 1817 and 1819 for the Duke of Wellington, which is now displayed at Apsley House in London, his former residence.
One of the most significant developments in Europe during the first half of the 19th century was the increasing power and patronage of the middle classes,
a result of the economic boom brought by the Industrial Revolution. Instead of the elaborate table services made for royalty and aristocracy, there was much greater demand for single decorative pieces or small services. The factory adapted to the new market by producing large numbers of “cabinet” cups for display, generally cylindrical and often with covers, and similar to those made in Vienna. From c.1815 an elongated, slightly flared version, painted with portrait panels or Classical motifs, was introduced. Also typical of Berlin were octagonal tea services with fine paintings of ancient ruins, birds, or butterflies, surrounded with gilding and elaborate enamels imitating Roman mosaics and pietre dare (hardstone) panels.
Vases in a variety of sizes were popular for display and were a major part of the output of Berlin from c.1830. Based on antique forms such as urns and kraters, they were usually embellished with topographical paintings or elaborate Classical motifs in panels, surrounded by tooled gilt borders with Neo-classical motifs. The supreme technical and artistic quality of these vases was unmatched.
Like tablewares, figures were inspired by Classical models; they were usually left unpainted or unglazed, in imitation of antique statues, and set on simple cylindrical pedestals moulded with regular geometric borders. Although most of the subjects were allegorical or taken from Classical antiquity, the factory also made portraits of the Prussian royal family, and of Prussian generals who had defeated Napoleon. From the 1830s a figure of
the Princesses Louise and Frederike was mass-produced with a stepped base or plinth rather than a simple slab.
Portrait medallions in biscuit porcelain, mostly depicting the royal family, were also made on a large scale.
Porcelain Easter eggs were a distinctive product of the
Berlin factory from c.1820 to the end of the century. They were decorated all over with paintings reserved on coloured grounds.
LATER CLASSICAL AND OTHER STYLES
The Berlin factor y continued to make high-quality decorated porcelain until the end of the 19th century, even though there was a general decline in European porcelain manufacture because of competition from mass-produced goods. Most mid- and late 19th-century Berlin porcelain displays mainly Classical influences, while other factories such as Meissen concentrated on the revival of 18th-century Rococo models. However, such forms as vases became larger and heavier, and decoration often more ornate: the simple, angular shape for handles, for example, was replaced by animal heads.
Berlin’s tradition of treating porcelain primarily as a medium for painting reached its apogee c.1840 with the development of porcelain plaques. Like paintings, these were usually rectangular and enclosed in richly modelled gilt frames. They were sold as blanks to outside workshops and painted by independent decorators (Hausmaler). The very finely executed subjects were initially copies or details of Old Master works; however, during the last third of the 19th century the themes were less profound: exotic maidens in traditional costume, scantily clad nymphs among flowers, or rather sentimental religious subjects.
From c.18,50 Rococo Revival elements, such as curling scrollwork, flowers, and shells, appeared in the decoration of tablewares and vases. This decoration, combined with the gilded and coloured grounds and topographical views, resulted in an overdecorated effect. This would never have occurred in the 18th century, when restrained decoration was used to create balance. The factory also experimented in mid-century with the Renaissance Revival style by manufacturing copies of Italian Renaissance maiolica and 17th-century German stoneware. These pieces have much heavier forms than the originals. The production of figures at this time was confined mainly to busts and figures of the royal family, ladies in contemporary dress on pedestals, and a limited revival of 18th-century models of such subjects as pastoral figures and tradesmen.
During the 1870s the factory suffered severe financial setbacks, but Hermann Seger, appointed technical director in 18787
, revived its fortunes and ensured its future by developing a series of new glazes. The subtle glaze effects on Oriental porcelain were particularly fashionable in the late 19th century, especially after Japanese and Chinese ceramics were displayed at the numerous European international exhibitions. Seger was the first manufacturer in Europe to reproduce rich flambe and sang-de-boeuf glazes by developing the “Seger cones”, which allowed accurate control of firing temperatures. This type of Oriental-inspired porcelain was known as “Seger-Porzellan”, and the new technology was taken up in porcelain factories throughout Europe. The Berlin factory continues to produce fine porcelain today.
• BODY high-quality, white, hard-paste porcelain with a glassy glaze and a slightly cold, bluish tinge
Before c.1840
• STYLE restrained Neo-classical
• FORMS cabinet cups and saucers; Easter eggs
• DECORATION gilt borders finely tooled with Classical motifs; highly finished topographical paintings imitating oils; coloured and gilt grounds
After c.1840
• STYLE eclectic, combining both Rococo and Classical elements
• FORMS painted plaques with elaborate gilt frames
• DECORATION very ornate, with applied gilt motifs such as shells and curling scrollwork combined with coloured grounds and paintings; paintings of sentimental religious subjects or exotic maidens on plaques
Marks