VC-31-62

Exceptional Dining Table

Vienna, c.1825 Cherry veneer with ebonized detail seats six people comfortably This exceptional Biedermeier game table is related in style to the work of Josef Danhauser, the owner of the most important furniture factory in Vienna from 1804 until his death in 1830. Danhauser had royal and noble patrons including Kaiser Franz I of Austria and Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen, founder of the Albertina. But Danhauser was mainly engaged in making pieces for the bourgeoisie, becoming one of the creators of the Biedermeier style. Only furniture of his own design was produced at his factory. A collection of 2,500 designs is now in the Oesterreichisches Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst (MAK- Museum of Applied Arts). The variety and quantity are truly impressive. This collection of drawings is particularly important as a reference, since so much Biedermeier furniture is clouded in anonymity. The design of this elegant Biedermeier table which seats six comfortably with its hexagonal baluster shaped base can be compared to the drawing for table no. 27. To suit the collector’s needs, this center table can be transformed into a game table. The round cherry veneered top reveals, when removed, the green felt covered surface with three carved compartments for dice and cards. This timeless game table combines functionality with high aesthetic appeal. Lit: Compare architectural design drawing of a baluster shaped table in: ‘Biedermeier – The invention of simplicity’ Exhibition catalogue, Milwaukee Art Museum/ Albertina, Vienna, 2006 – Section III-7, Illustration 70 Height: 31” Diameter: 51”