ADOLF LOOS
About the artist | Brno 1870 – 1933 Kalksburg near Vienna |
Designed by | Adolf Loos |
Executed by | Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna, from 1900 onwards |
Dimensions | H 78 cm, W 160 cm, D 80 cm |
Material | Solid mahogany and veneer, solid beech wood, dyed to rosewood, lightly refreshed approximately 20 years ago, surface slightly refreshed, original brass fittings, 5 original brass keys, inside left 3 "English" (semi-open front) drawers, right 3 drawers, very good original condition |
Provenance | private property, Austria |
Literature | E. B. Ottillinger, Adolf Loos, Wohnkonzepte und Möbelentwürfe, p. 59 |
In many of his furnishing commissions, Adolf Loos used desks like this in slight variations. Our desk’s formal language corresponds to Loos’ furnishings for Gustav Turnovsky’s study in 1912. The structure of the base, the panelling as well as the arrangement of the drawers and the front doors are almost identical. Only the panelling on the sides, the closed back with its two storage compartments, and the fittings differ. Furthermore, the entire writing area on the desktop is also veneered. We are not aware of any design drawing that would not conclusively indicate Loos as this writing desk’s designer.
H15/24