Or are you looking for Search the Archives?

Please complete the form to email this item.

Dolls' house - Rietveld Schröder House

Rietveld Schröder House

  • Object:

    Dolls' house

  • Place of origin:

    England (made)

  • Date:

    2002 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Aldus, John (makers)
    Rietveld, Gerrit Thomas, born 1888 - died 1964 (designer)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Painted wood and metal, perspex

  • Credit Line:

    Given by Noémie Ducimetiere

  • Museum number:

    B.1-2007

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

The house was made by John Aldus for his daughter Noémie in 2002. It is a copy in miniature of the famous Schröder House in Utrecht in which was designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1924. Rietveld was an exponent of De Stijl, a Dutch art movement that focused on form and colour to achieve a pure abstraction. Colours were limited to black, white, and grey and the primary colours red, yellow, and blue. Rietveld also pioneered open-plan living, with his creative, flexible use of space, something which has become more common in the modern homes of today.

The dolls' house is painted predominately grey in keeping with the original building. It was designed to be played with and this is reflected in the quality of the build and how the front of the building can be opened allowing access to the rooms behind.

Physical description

Dolls' house made from wood and metal with perspex glazing. The house is painted in shades of grey and white with small details picked out in red, blue, and yellow. The building has a flat roof with a chimney and rectangular roof lantern painted white. The front of the house can be pulled out and the sides can be opened to allow access to the rooms behind. The house has two floors laid out in an open-plan style. The rooms are painted but unfurnished.

Place of Origin

England (made)

Date

2002 (made)

Artist/maker

Aldus, John (makers)
Rietveld, Gerrit Thomas, born 1888 - died 1964 (designer)

Materials and Techniques

Painted wood and metal, perspex

Dimensions

Height: 77 cm approx., Width: 124 cm approx., Depth: 88 cm approx.

Object history note

The house was made by John Aldus, a practising visual artist, for his daughter Noémie. It was clearly intended to be used as a plaything and not as an architectural model.

Historical significance: This house is a fine copy of the Schröder House which stands in Utrecht, The Netherlands and is considered an icon of the Modernist Movement in architecture. The Schröder House was designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Truus Schröder in 1924 and is based on the principles of De Stijl, using only primary colours in combination with white, grey, and black. Other artists associated with De Stijl include Piet Mondrian and Bart van der Leck.

Descriptive line

Dolls' house based on Gerrit Rietveld's Schröder House made in England by John Aldus in 2002.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Pasierbska, Halina. Dolls' Houses: From the V&A Museum of Childhood. London: V&A Publishing, 2008, p.51
ISBN 9781851775460

Materials

Wood; Perspex; Metal

Techniques

Painting

Subjects depicted

Houses; Dollhouses

Categories

Dolls & Toys; Children & Childhood; Architecture; Dolls' houses

Production Type

Unique

Collection

Museum of Childhood

Large image request

Please confirm you are using these images within the following terms and conditions, by acknowledging each of the following key points:

Please let us know how you intend to use the images you will be downloading.