The Alsatian painter Carl (or Charles) Spindler began to produce marquetry pictures in 1893. He avoided the use of staining to achieve colour, or scorching the edges of pieces to give shading and suggest a three-dimensional effect. Instead he used different woods to create the details of his pictures and ornamental designs. He exploited not only the different colours of woods but also the variety of their grain. His furniture design was much influenced by the ideas of the more famous French designer Emile Gallé, who also worked in the Alsace region and believed in nature as a source of inspiration.

Alsace was on the borders of France and Germany and in 1900 was under German rule, though there was a strong local movement to reunite Alsace with France.

Spindler’s panelling and furniture for a music room, of which this settle formed part, won a German Grand Prix at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900, but was also awarded a French Silver Medal.