JOSEF HOFFMANN
| About the artist | Brtnice 1870 – 1956 Vienna |
| Designed by | Design of the chest: Josef Hoffmann |
| Décor | Painted by: Franz von Zülow, 1945 |
| Marked | signed in front lower right: Franz von Zülow 45 |
| Dimensions | H 79 cm, W 60 cm, D 41 cm |
| Material | Pine, primed, colourful painted interior; painting: "Kleisterarbeit", (using paint mixed with glue), cleaned, some parts that were missing due to ageing and cracks in the wood, repaired, retouches, very nice condition. |
| Provenance | private property, Austria |
| Shown | Musée des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 1989; L'art deco en Europe, illus. cat. no. A 12, p. 37; MAK Vienna, Josef Hoffmann 1870-1956. Progress Through Beauty, December 2021 until June 2022; OÖ Landes-Kultur GmbH, Franz von Zülow. Simply versatile, Sumerauerhof, June until Oktober 2022 |
| Literature | Die schönen Künste, 1947, II, p. 118 |
As early as the 1910s, Josef Hoffmann designed a small chest of this kind, which was later fitted with four small legs. In total, three such chests are known today: One was painted by Gertrude Balabene, another by Renate Tschurtschentaler. However, this piece is probably the most important of its kind, as it was painted by Franz von Zülow – a master painter decorated his first furniture for the Wiener Werkstätte as early as 1908.
M10/22
