Such Stately Seating!

June 8 2010, 10:50am

This pair of armchairs formed part of a suite which furnished the State Room on the first floor of the Archduke Karl’s Palace in Vienna (now the Albertina).  Archduke Karl (1771-1847), brother of Emperor Franz I, inherited the Palace from his uncle Duke Albert of Saxony Teschen in 1822, together with its famous collection of drawings and etchings.  He immediately embarked upon its extensive redecoration, and after the project’s completion the Palace was regarded as one of the most tasteful and glamorous in Vienna.

In his guide to Vienna of 1832, Franz von Sickingen placed particular emphasis on the State Room which contained the present chairs: “…the green sitting room leads on to the State Room where the wall covers are woven of red satin with gold floral bouquets after a French pattern by the local silk weaver, Hornpostel… The walls as well as all the armchairs are covered in the same material; the frames are gilt throughout and are decorated with delicate carving…” Photographs taken at the turn of the century depict the two armchairs in situ at the Palace, where they remained until its nationalization in February, 1920.  When the Palace became the home of the Austrian State Collection of Graphics and Design, part of its furniture was moved to Trauston Palace in Hungary and later divided up amongst the Austrian Archducal family.  Other pieces were auctioned in 1933 through the auction house Kende.  The inventories compiled to facilitate the dispersal of the contents show that there were originally twelve armchairs of the present model, which were grouped around three different sofas.  One pair of armchairs from this set of twelve today forms part of the furniture collection of the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.

The suite in situ in the state room at the Albertina, Vienna.

Joseph Ulrich Danhauser supplied all the furniture for the new interior of the Karl Palace.  The Danhauser factory was the most important Viennese manufacturer of the period, supplying highly discerning clients throughout the Austrian Empire and beyond.  His authorship of the Karl Palace suite is confirmed by a surviving drawing for the armchairs, a reproduction of which has been preserved in the Austrian National Library 9.

Design for armchair, Biedermeier, probably by Josef Danhauser for Weilburg in Baden. Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Bildarchiv.

Danhauser trained in sculpture at the Vienna Academy and in 1808 and received the k.k. Landesfabriks-Privilegium for the production of gilded, silvered and bronzed objects.  He drew on an 18th century tradition, derived from Italy, of using delicately gilded wood carvings rather than gilt-bronze.  In 1814 he expanded his business, taking the unprecedented step of requesting ‘permission to be allowed to use the title of Royal Warrant Furniture Maker,’  This enabled him to break Vienna’s restrictive guild system and bring together the skills of carving, joining, gilding and upholstering within his own firm.  Indeed, Danhauser’s historical significance today relates both to his Royal commissions and the pioneering way in which he organized his business. The unupholstered chair frame.

These chairs, along with a number of other special pieces, will be featured in our booth at the upcoming inaugural Masterpiece London antiques fair. The show is being held at the former Chelsea Barracks, and promises to be “an inter-disciplinary fusion of traditional and modern.” If you happen to be in London between June 24-29, stop by to visit! A special thanks to Dr. Christian Witt-Dörring for his help in preparing this research.