Josef Maria Olbrich Music Room Settee Cabinet Darmstadt Germany made c.1900

Designer:
Attributed to circle of Josef Maria Olbrich (1867 – 1908).
Olbrich, the world-famous Austrian architect and co-founder of the Viennese Secession, had studied as from the year 1890 until 1893 at Viennese Academy of Fine Arts where he had been pupil of Karl v. Hasenauer.
In period 1893-1898 Olbrich worked in the atelier / studio of the famous Viennese architect Otto Wagner who had designed for example the Viennese ‘Postsparkasse’ as well as the Viennese tram-train (the so-said ‘Stadtbahn’).
Beyond that, Olbrich planned and constructed the exhibition building of Viennese Secession, the famous Secession Hall, in 1897/98.
Finally – in the year 1899 – the architect and designer was appointed as co-founder of Darmstadt Artists’ Colony by Duke Ernst Ludwig von Hessen: Olbrich designed many houses (including his own) and several exhibition buildings there.

Important note:
This music room settee with cabinet is part of a complete room filled with luxurious furnishings which can’t hardly be obtained on art market in such a completed state as we’re offering here on 1stdibs!

Detailed Information:
These furnishings consisting of a settee as well as of a cabinet are constructed in following manner: The cabinet of rectangular form type is designed as backplane for the settee which is fixed component of it.
The cabinet having closed back wall is topped by plate attached to ledge; underneath, there is a pair of slender circular columns existing, supporting the ledge as well as framing four-fold doors edged by strips accentuated by black color. Additionally, two doors are glassed or the surface of other two doors is ornamented with quatrefoil-shaped rosettes. Inside, some shelves are existing. Beneath, a pair of four-edged / square columns attached to a platter support the cabinet’s chest with doors as mentioned above. Finally, the settee with bright blue upholstering is attached to the cabinet’s area below.

Material:
Sycamore veneer wood or perla Horn and plane tree and black stained pearwood or additionally, several inlay woods and mother-of-pearl existing. The inside interior shelves are made of mahogany wood.

These furnishings are stylistically strongly connected to the olbrich music room cabinet and other furnishings presented here, too a copy of this music room cabinet is preserved in the Museum of the Artist’s Colony Darmstadt.

Bibliography:
Katalog der Kuenstlerkolonie Darmstadt (Catalogue of Artist’s Colony Darmstadt / Germany), published by Renate Ulmer (Darmstadt 1990), pages 194/195.

Original vintage furniture deriving from manufacturing period!

Measures:
height: 180 cm / 70.87 inches.
width: 190 cm / 74.8 inches.
depth: 95 cm / 37.4 inches (settee included).
depth: 33 cm / 12.99 inches (cabinet only).

In excellent condition or ready for use!

Provenance: Privately owned art objects.