Historicist Buffet with Mirrored Top and Marble Slab, 1920

Details

Description

This solid oak sideboard was created around 1920 as a late historicist piece of furniture, incorporating neo-Baroque forms. The arched … Read more This solid oak sideboard was created around 1920 as a late historicist piece of furniture, incorporating neo-Baroque forms. The arched mirrored top, the light-veined marble top, and the two-doored body are clearly structured, and the symmetrically placed carvings contribute to a harmonious overall appearance.

Historical Context: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, sideboards with mirrored tops were a standard feature in middle-class dining rooms. They served to store dishes, linens, and cutlery, and offered space on the top for serving and displaying food. Marble tops were heat- and moisture-resistant and were therefore preferred for sideboards. After the First World War, historicist furniture remained popular among large segments of the middle class, even as more functional designs were gaining ground. Mass production in furniture factories made such pieces accessible to a wider range of buyers.

Features: The front legs terminate in carved claw-and-ball feet with a shell motif at the knee; the rear legs are straight. The central panel between the drawers features a three-dimensionally carved shell with acanthus tendrils, echoing the motif of the crowning element on the upper section.

Design: The design combines neo-Baroque elements such as shells, acanthus, and curved panels with claw-and-ball feet in the English style. The body is strictly axially symmetrical. The narrow, profiled, and chamfered central panel separates the two doors with their arched panels and rosette carvings. The arch of the mirror frame is repeated in the door panels and the curved jamb, creating a formal connection between the base and upper section. The grain pattern of the oak is clearly visible and defines the surfaces.

Function: Formerly: a sideboard and china cabinet in the dining room, for storing porcelain, linens, and cutlery.

Today: a sideboard in the dining room, living room, or entryway; with a mirrored upper section, it is also suitable as a prestigious piece of furniture for a hallway or entrance hall.

Dimensions: Height 169 cm × Width 131 cm × Depth 58 cm. Material and condition: Solid oak, marble top with natural veining, beveled mirror glass, brass fittings. Two drawers and two lockable doors with internal shelves. The marble top is solid and shows fine, age-related lines in the grain. Overall well-preserved with age-related wear and visible patina. See less