Art Nouveau Table Display Case by Hans Bolek, School Josef Hoffmann for August Ungethüm, Vienna, 1913

Details

Description

Object: table display cabinet (part of a gentleman's study, consisting of: bookcase, desk, armchair, and table display cabinet)
design: hans … Read more Object: table display cabinet (part of a gentleman's study, consisting of: bookcase, desk, armchair, and table display cabinet)
design: hans bolek (school of prof. Josef hoffmann, vienna, 1913)
model number: -
manufacturer: august ungethüm (vienna, 1913)
dimensions in cm (h x w x d): 116 × 69.5 × 50 (display cabinet interior: 32 × 51 × 35.5)
material: ebonized bog oak, glass
condition: professionally restored
provenance: vienna, 1010
literature: photograph, photograph of a living room based on a design by hans bolek, executed by august ungethüm, möbelfabrik august ungethüm, mak inv. No. Ki 7905-13 / kunst und kunsthandwerk xvi, 1913, issue 12, p. 629 / exhibition of austrian arts and crafts 1913-1914. Vienna: austrian museum of applied arts / contemporary art, vienna, 1913. Print.

this original art nouveau table display cabinet was designed in 1913 by hans bolek and manufactured by the august ungethüm art furniture factory in vienna (obere amtshausgasse 27, 1050). Both artists were students of josef hoffmann at the vienna school of arts and crafts and thus stand in the direct tradition of the wiener werkstätte. The piece combines the design principles of moderate modernism with a strict architectural clarity typical of classical vienna around 1915.

the understated, elegant display cabinet captivates with its exceptional materials: ebonized bog oak (expertly restored and finished with a silk-matt shellac hand polish). Characteristic features include the striking coffered legs and ribbed wooden front, which lend the design a sculptural, rhythmic structure. The clear geometry, reduction to the essentials, and balanced proportions directly reference the aesthetics that josef hoffmann imparted to his students.

hans bolek, who specialized primarily in jewelry and small art objects, left behind only a few pieces of furniture. Particularly noteworthy in this context is his work for the austrian arts and crafts exhibition 1913–1914 at the austrian museum of applied arts / contemporary art in vienna. There, bolek presented a study furnished with semi-matt polished bog oak with striking leaf ornamentation, coffering, and ribbed wooden fronts—executed by august ungethüm. It is evident that this table display case was originally part of that ensemble and thus represents a rare example of early viennese functionalism within moderate modernism.

with its simple elegance and clear design language, the table display case embodies the stylistic principles of viennese art nouveau in an outstanding way. This piece has an attribution mark,
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