Small Art Nouveau Side Table by K.u.K Hofkunsttischlerei Bernhard Ludwig, Vienna, Austria, 1905

Details

Description

Object: art nouveau small table
design & execution: k.u.k. Hofkunsttischlerei bernhard ludwig (imperial and royal court carpentry workshop bernhard ludwig) … Read more Object: art nouveau small table
design & execution: k.u.k. Hofkunsttischlerei bernhard ludwig (imperial and royal court carpentry workshop bernhard ludwig) (vienna, circa 1905)
dimensions in cm (h × w × d): 76 × 80 × 56
material: softwood, mahogany veneer, maple inlay, brass, glass, light blue leather
condition: professionally restored
provenance: vienna
literature: vera j. Behal, furniture of the art nouveau period, collection of the austrian museum of applied arts, munich, 1981, pp. 62f., 195-200 / portois & fix – a viennese furnishing company of modernism, mag. Bernadette decristoforo, 2009, p. 150 / patrick kovacs art dealer - news, issue 9, 2007 (in a lawyer's office)

additional information:

this small table, made around 1905, combines a delicate, almost architectural construction with a strictly geometric decoration and is a high-quality example of art nouveau furniture. Viennese art nouveau.

the mahogany-veneered frame is accentuated by finely crafted inlays of light maple. Squares, rectangles, and narrow lines form a recurring ornamental pattern. The deliberately understated ornamentation arises not from applied decoration, but directly from the contrast of the woods used.

the design of the maple inlays shows clear parallels to furniture from the workshop of the imperial and royal court cabinetmaker bernhard ludwig. In particular, a gentleman's writing desk from around 1903 exhibits a similar use of light, geometrically arranged inlays. These formal and decorative similarities form the basis for attributing this small table to bernhard ludwig. No archival evidence or maker's mark confirming this connection has yet been found.
this piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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