Panelling thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Panelling

ca. 1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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 wide 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. The inscription at the top of this panel is in French and describes how the subjects of the marquetry are taken from legends of Alsace.

This panelling, part of a music room displayed at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900, won not only a German Grand Prix but also a French Silver Medal.


Object details

Category
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 5 parts.

  • Panelling
  • Panelling
  • Panelling
  • Panelling
  • Brackets
Materials and techniques
Walnut, with marquetry of walnut, pearwood, tulipwood, maple, amboyna, purpleheart, sycamore and kingwood on a ground of poplar veneered on the back with oak
Brief description
Panelling of walnut, with panels of marquetry of walnut and several other woods
Physical description
Section of panelling from a Music Room, of walnut with panels of marquetry of a variety of woods between moulded framing rails of walnut. The lowest section of the panelling is veneered in walnut with applied mouldings of walnut forming an ogee arch. Above this, is a broad horizontal dado of marquetry of leaves. Above is the main panel of marquetry showing a scene of trees in grassland, with flowers at either side. The top panel of marquetry shows a scroll inscribed (in marquetry) with the inscription: ' Les sujets des panneaux en marqueterie de ce salon sont tirés des légendes alsaciennes'
Dimensions
  • Height: 189.1cm
  • Width: 146.8cm
  • Depth: 67.3cm
Measured from object by Max Donnelly.
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Les sujets des panneaux en marqueterie de ce salon sont tirés des légendes alsaciennes (In marquetry in the uppermost section of the panelling)
Translation
The subjects of the panels of marquetry in this room are taken from legends of the Alsace region
Gallery label
WALL OF MUSIC ROOM Designer and manufacturer: Charles Spindler (1865-1938) Cabinet maker: J. J. Graff, Guebwiller Alsace (Saint-Léonard): about 1900 Poplar, oak and walnut with marquetry of various woods, upholstered in green cloth 2004 to 2007-1900 The painter Spindler began to produce marquetry pictures in 1893. His marquetry style was influenced by the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901), while his furniture is indebted to advanced German designers such as Bruno Paul (1874-1968) and Joseph Olbrich (1867-1908). Against these must be set the influence of Emile Gallé (1846-1904) and other Nancy designers. His music room was awarded a German Grand Prix and a French silver medal when shown at the Paris 1900 Exhibition. Given by Sir George Donaldson(pre 1990)
Credit line
Given by Sir George Donaldson
Object history
Exhibited at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900
Subjects depicted
Summary
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 wide 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. The inscription at the top of this panel is in French and describes how the subjects of the marquetry are taken from legends of Alsace.

This panelling, part of a music room displayed at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900, won not only a German Grand Prix but also a French Silver Medal.
Bibliographic references
  • Donaldson, George, The Victoria and Albert Museum. Gift of "New Art" Furniture for Circulation. The Magazine of Art, 1901, pp. 466-471 (illus.)
  • Neiswander, Judith A., 'Fantastic Malady' or Competitive Edge? English Outrage at Art Nouveau in 1901. Apollo, Nov. 1988, vol. CXXVIII, no. 321, pp. 310-313, plus footnotes p. 379 (illus.)
  • Art & Design in Europe and America 1800-1900. Introduction by Simon Jervis (London: The Herbert Press, 1987), pp. 198-9.
  • 'Laboratoire d'Europe, Strasbourg 1880-1930' exhibition catalogue, Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 23 September 2017 to 25 February 2018, pp. 92-94.
Collection
Accession number
2005-1900

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Record createdJune 26, 2001
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