Tea Table
ca. 1904 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Hartwig Fischel's design for this square tea-table, made of mahogany inlaid with maple and decorative fretwork, suggests familiarity with small Biedermeier novelty furniture of the early 19th century. Indeed, this tea-table was designed for Fischel's flat, which was furnished with Biedermeier pieces inherited from his grandfather.
The copper feet and fittings, however, and the arrangement of the table with glazed sides that hinge open, and shelves to hold tea accessories, root this table firmly in the Vienna Secession style of the early 1900s.
The copper feet and fittings, however, and the arrangement of the table with glazed sides that hinge open, and shelves to hold tea accessories, root this table firmly in the Vienna Secession style of the early 1900s.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Mahogany, inlaid with maple, with glazed sides, copper feet and fittings |
| Brief description | Austrian (Vienna) c.1904, designed by Hartwig Fischel |
| Physical description | A rectangular shaped tea-table with four geometrically cut-out mahogany uprights forming the canted corners, each with the foot capped in copper and with a castor, the top pierced to provide a lifting handle. One wooden shelf, two glazed tiers above. The sides between the glass tiers are enclosed with framed glass panels, hinged along the bottom. When open, these serve to provide additional surfaces for serving tea. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | It can be seen from a plan published in Das Interieur in 1904 (Vol. V) that this tea-table stood in one corner of Fischel's dining room, in front of two armchairs. |
| Historical context | In his text in Das Interieur (Vol. V) Fischel states that the dining room in a modest middle-class apartment such as his, must double as a reception and a living room. His furniture was designed to fit in with early 19th-century Biedermeier furniture which he had inherited from his grandfather. The same issue of Das Interieur (p.3) includes a similar tea-table designed by Baroness Falke and executed by Balkalowits & Sons of Vienna. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Hartwig Fischel's design for this square tea-table, made of mahogany inlaid with maple and decorative fretwork, suggests familiarity with small Biedermeier novelty furniture of the early 19th century. Indeed, this tea-table was designed for Fischel's flat, which was furnished with Biedermeier pieces inherited from his grandfather. The copper feet and fittings, however, and the arrangement of the table with glazed sides that hinge open, and shelves to hold tea accessories, root this table firmly in the Vienna Secession style of the early 1900s. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.10-1983 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | September 29, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
