JOSEF HOFFMANN
| About the artist | Brtnice 1870 – 1956 Vienna |
| Designed by | Josef Hoffmann, Vienna, 1900/1901 |
| Executed by | Anton Pospischil, Kunstmöbeltischlerei Wien |
| Dimensions | H 174/91 cm, W 226 cm, D 42.5/77 cm |
| Material | Solid rosewood and veneer on coniferous wood, linear inlay in boxwood, mahogany wood interior, four abstract floral carvings in rosewood on the side and rear panels, numerous cut and facetted glass elements, fittings nickel-plated, surface slightly repolished, cut and facetted mirrors, very good original condition |
| Provenance | private property, Austria |
| Literature | cf: Das Interieur, vol. 1, 1900, p. 33, fig. 19. |
Our large sideboard is a variation of the dining-room centrepiece Josef Hoffmann designed in 1899/1900 for the World Exhibition in Paris, presented in the Austrian Museum for Art and Industry in February 1900 in a pavilion that had been specifically designed for the Paris show. The four abstract floral carvings affixed to the side elements’ rear panels or the side elements themselves are reminiscent of the formal language of Charles Rennie Mackintosh who, in November 1900, took part in the VIIIth Secession exhibition along with his wife, Margaret McDonald, and Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Leopold Bauer, Charles Robert Ashbee as well as numerous other artists.
The smooth door fronts without metal panelling and the nickel-plated brass fittings lend this piece a much more modern appearance than was enjoyed by the large sideboard exhibited in Paris.
At that time Hoffmann was already a professor at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule [School of Arts and Crafts]. It is likely that he and his patron, Fritz Waerndorfer, had personally handed over the invitation to Mackintosh in Glasgow. The Scotsman’s work also inspired Hoffmann to some of his own designs.
H10/24
