Beech chair with caned seat
Chair
1904-1906 (Designed), 1904-1906 (Manufactured)
1904-1906 (Designed), 1904-1906 (Manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Richard Riemerschmid (1868-1957) was born in Munich, Bavaria. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and was a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1907 which brought together manufacturers, retailers and designers to raise the quality of goods and revitalise the German economy .
Riemerschmid was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Fair for his design, 'Room for an Art Lover' which featured the elaborate stucco decoration characteristic of the curvilinear phase of Jugendstil. On display in the room was perhaps his most famous chair, 'Model 4059' (CIRC.859-1956) several of which were bought by Liberty's for their shop.
In 1903 he began to design furniture for the Deutsche Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst in Dresden which became one of the largest and most important furniture manufacturers in Germany. At this time he met Dresden-based wicker manufacturer Theodor Reimann and in 1904 designed two different wicker chairs, a side table, and a Strandkorb, or roofed wicker beach chair.
In 1906 he presented his first Maschinenmöbel (machine furniture) at the third Deutsche Kunstgewerbeausstellung, Dresden. Each individual component for his 'Machine furniture' was manufactured in small quantities at the Dresdner Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst and assembled manually. The functional form of the beech chair with its caned seat and open back exemplifies his democratic approach to design which was concerned with making well constructed, beautiful furniture that was accessible to a wider public. The decoration of the chair relies on the intentionally visible joints and the use of rattan on the seat.
Riemerschmid was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Fair for his design, 'Room for an Art Lover' which featured the elaborate stucco decoration characteristic of the curvilinear phase of Jugendstil. On display in the room was perhaps his most famous chair, 'Model 4059' (CIRC.859-1956) several of which were bought by Liberty's for their shop.
In 1903 he began to design furniture for the Deutsche Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst in Dresden which became one of the largest and most important furniture manufacturers in Germany. At this time he met Dresden-based wicker manufacturer Theodor Reimann and in 1904 designed two different wicker chairs, a side table, and a Strandkorb, or roofed wicker beach chair.
In 1906 he presented his first Maschinenmöbel (machine furniture) at the third Deutsche Kunstgewerbeausstellung, Dresden. Each individual component for his 'Machine furniture' was manufactured in small quantities at the Dresdner Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst and assembled manually. The functional form of the beech chair with its caned seat and open back exemplifies his democratic approach to design which was concerned with making well constructed, beautiful furniture that was accessible to a wider public. The decoration of the chair relies on the intentionally visible joints and the use of rattan on the seat.
Object details
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| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Beech, caned seat |
| Brief description | Chair designed by Richard Riemerschmid and made by the Deutsche Werkstätten, beech and cane, c. 1904-06 |
| Physical description | Chair, constructed of beech, with a caned seat and open back. The side seat rails are tennoned into the front legs and attach to the side of the back legs with dowels or screws and plugs. The front seat rail is attached over the front legs with dowels or screws and plugs. There is no rear seat rail, but a lower stretcher is tennoned into the rear legs. The rear legs rise to become the sides of the back, and are connected at the top by a simple rail tennoned into them. Three uprights connect the top rail to a rail about 6cm above the seat. The four sides of the shallow seat frame are tennoned or dowelled together and the caning was completed before it was attached to the chair frame. The simple six-way caning has an edging on the top surface but no retaining groove on the underside. The chair was painted but was stripped before it was re-caned. There is evidence of old paint under the seat. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | This chair was shown in Gestaltete Form Mobel aus Hellerau, Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Dresden, 2 June-31 October 1973, Catalogue Number 11. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Richard Riemerschmid (1868-1957) was born in Munich, Bavaria. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and was a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1907 which brought together manufacturers, retailers and designers to raise the quality of goods and revitalise the German economy . Riemerschmid was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Fair for his design, 'Room for an Art Lover' which featured the elaborate stucco decoration characteristic of the curvilinear phase of Jugendstil. On display in the room was perhaps his most famous chair, 'Model 4059' (CIRC.859-1956) several of which were bought by Liberty's for their shop. In 1903 he began to design furniture for the Deutsche Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst in Dresden which became one of the largest and most important furniture manufacturers in Germany. At this time he met Dresden-based wicker manufacturer Theodor Reimann and in 1904 designed two different wicker chairs, a side table, and a Strandkorb, or roofed wicker beach chair. In 1906 he presented his first Maschinenmöbel (machine furniture) at the third Deutsche Kunstgewerbeausstellung, Dresden. Each individual component for his 'Machine furniture' was manufactured in small quantities at the Dresdner Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst and assembled manually. The functional form of the beech chair with its caned seat and open back exemplifies his democratic approach to design which was concerned with making well constructed, beautiful furniture that was accessible to a wider public. The decoration of the chair relies on the intentionally visible joints and the use of rattan on the seat. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.34-1984 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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