Danish Empire Chairs, 1820s, Set of 4

Details

Description

Four Danish Empire or Biedermeier Chairs with Marquetry, circa 1820

Denmark
Birch tree
early 19th century

Dimensions: H x W … Read more Four Danish Empire or Biedermeier Chairs with Marquetry, circa 1820

Denmark
Birch tree
early 19th century

Dimensions: H x W x D: 83 x 48 x 46 cm, seat height: 48 cm

Rare ensemble of four chairs in the typical design language of the bourgeois Danish Empire.

The slightly splayed legs, the clear lines of the frame and the removable seats are typical of the period and region.
However, the backrests deserve special attention: In the central panels, figurative depictions are inlaid in maple on a dark walnut background - classicist female figures in antique-style robes, carefully engraved in the light, warm-toned wood.
The vertical struts made of birch wood also fit well into the oeuvre of Danish workshops of the early 19th century, as evidenced by a chair exhibited in Den Gamle By (Danmarks Købstadmuseum) and illustrated in Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen - The Dream of a Golden Age p. 407.

Interesting facts:
In the early 19th century, a style of furniture developed in Denmark - at the same time as the Biedermeier period in Germany - that is now known as Bourgeois Empire.
In addition to the clear design language, the antique-style marquetry is characteristic. These inlays, presumably based on copper engravings, were always slightly varied, so that even furniture from the same workshop almost always shows minor or major changes from commission to commission. Although the motifs were almost always produced in the ancient Greek manner and of the same quality, we hardly ever find the same motif in the antique trade today.

Condition:
Restored condition ready for use with very beautiful preservation of the inlay work.

Please refer to the following specialised literature:
Gelfer-Jørgensen - The Dream of a Golden Age - Danish Neo-Classical Furniture 1790–1850 See less