Biedermeier Chest of Drawers from Castle Carlsruhe, 1810

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Description

"egyptian chest of drawers" from carlsruhe castle silesia

wroclaw
curly maple, maple burl
circa 1810

probably breslau around 1810, after … Read more "egyptian chest of drawers" from carlsruhe castle silesia

wroclaw
curly maple, maple burl
circa 1810

probably breslau around 1810, after a model from "la mésangère" published in 1807.
flamed maple, maple burl and calm maple veneer on softwood. The inlays partly ebonised.
original polished steel key and inlaid iron locks.

provenance:
carlsruhe castle silesia, residence of the dukes of württemberg-oelz.
moved to württemberg in 1944 with the palace inventory.
sold by the heirs of duke ferdinand von württemberg (1925-2020) in 2022.

dimensions: h x w x d: 81 x 110 x 60 cm

a protruding plinth, which stands directly on the floor, supports the slightly trapezoidal body with three large drawers, which form a surface uninterrupted by crosspieces, divided into three fields by protruding pilasters with caryatids, each of which has a sistrum set into it. The sistrum, an ancient egyptian rattle, was associated with hathor, the goddess of music, love and joy, and was often used in temple music to create rhythm and ward off evil spirits.
the hathor temple in dendra, north of luxor, may have served as the inspiration for the design of a chest of drawers that was published in the famous parisian fashion magazine "la mésangère" at the beginning of the 19th century and obviously served as a model for the carlsruhe chest of drawers.

it is not surprising that "la mésangère" was read at the carlsruhe court. After a fire in 1798, the palace was rebuilt by the brother of king frederick i of württemberg, duke eugen friedrich of württemberg, equipped with a theatre and court chapel and experienced a cultural heyday as his residence. The duke was, for example, a patron of the composer carl maria von weber, whom he brought to the carlsruhe court as kapellmeister in 1806.

a mahogany chest of drawers with a very similar design, also with inset sistren, is attributed to jacob frères and dated 1799-1802 (sotheby's, villa demidoff, 22-24 april 1969, lot 250). Abbot albert nagenzaun had another chest of drawers made by johann hoegel in 1828 for the library of st peter's abbey in salzburg to store the magnificent work "deskription de l'egypte".

condition:
patina condition suitable for everyday use, older veneer additions left, runners of the drawers restored, perfect function.

in addition to the above-mentioned model, which was published in "la mésangère" in 1807, you will also find a picture of the hathor temple in dendra and a watercolour drawing of carlsruhe castle from the alexander duncker collection among the attached photos. See less