Category: Furniture

Inventory number:    KB-142

Material:     wood

Dimensions:      200 x 156 x 53 cm

Dating:     19th c.

Origin:    Croatia or Italy

 

The classicist wooden wardrobe with two wings is painted with simple motifs imitating elements of the wardrobe’s doorframes. It was painted by Vlaho Bukovac. The wardrobe is painted in a light greyish-blue tone, and on the doorframes, stylised hinges are painted in brown tones. The painting divides the simple doorframe surfaces into three simple quadrilaterals in the form of stamped seals.

Bukovac’s interest in interior decoration began in his childhood by painting the walls of the family home and embellishing furniture. By painting these objects, Bukovac adapted them to the architecture, creating cohesive units that revealed the master’s sensitivity. In his later life, Bukovac became widely known as a master of decorative compositions.

Inventory number:      KB-710

Material:      wood

Dimensions:       96 x 85 x 43.5 cm

Dating:      circa 1887

Origin:      Croatia

The commode is the lower part of the wardrobe designed and painted by Vlaho Bukovac. The slightly recessed central part of the door features a radiating, fan-shaped ornament made of wooden slats, pointed at the top, emanating from a quarter circle in the lower right corner. Bukovac painted the upper part of the panel with a floral motif. The commode features simple lines and is painted in a dark green colour.

The wardrobe was designed for the studio located in the yard of the newly built Bukovac house at Zrinjevac in Zagreb. It is a frequent motif in Bukovac’s paintings from his Zagreb and Prague periods.

It is also depicted in Vlaho Bukovac’s painting Hope from 1910.

 

Inventory number:      KB-713

Material:      wood, metal

Dimensions:       115.5 x 183 x 47.5 cm

Dating:      circa 1887

Origin:      Croatia

 

The upper part of the wardrobe, designed and painted by Vlaho Bukovac, has two wings. On the left side, there is a narrower section with open shelves supported at the front by a pillar with a simple decoration of two fluted horizontal lines at the top. The doors, similar to the commode KB-710, are adorned with the same radiating decoration and painting depicting iris flowers. Above, there is a galvanized sheet metal frieze adorned with horizontally and vertically arranged laurel leaf motifs made of sheet metal. They are separated by a narrow line and small laurel berries. The wardrobe is a dark green colour. Designed for the studio located in the yard of the newly built Bukovac house at Zrinjevac in Zagreb, it is a frequent motif in Bukovac’s paintings from his Zagreb and Prague periods. In the Portrait of My Wife in a Red Dress (KB-969), kept at the Bukovac House, he portrayed his wife Jelica leaning against this wardrobe.

However, the painting titled Cabinet of Future Glory, unfortunately lost today, painted in Prague in 1906, is interesting for several reasons. In this painting, the wardrobe is not just incidental scenery. Bukovac paints a partially open upper part, and within and around it, he places the severed heads of his Prague students, as well as his own, creating a very bizarre group portrait. The painting was exhibited in Sofia in 1906, bought by the Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand, and since then, its whereabouts has remained unknown.

 

Inventory number:       KB-707

Material:      wood

Dimensions:       80.5 x 55 x 49.5 cm

Dating:      circa 1880

Origin:      England

 

 

The table stands on trapezoidally placed legs interconnected by simple crossbars, from which four trapezoidally arranged wooden bars are drawn under the table’s top surface. The surface and body of the table are designed in the shape of a cavetto cornice and decorated with a monochromatic ochre painting depicting a symbol of a winged sun.

The table was made in the late 19^th century, during the period of the so-called Egyptian Revival when motifs from Egypt became popular in decorating and making furniture. This type of table was inspired by Thebes Stool production initiated by the company Liberty of London in 1884 based on designs of ancient Egyptian furniture. Although chairs with decorations and shapes from the city of Thebes were more commonly produced, occasionally other furniture was also made, as indicated by this stool table.

 

 

 

Inventory number:      KB-391

Material:      wood, paper, metal

Dimensions:      36 x 36 cm

Dating:      circa 1876

Made by:      Miroir Brot

Origin:      France

Tri-fold mirror. The mirrors on one side and fine Japanese paper on the other side are enclosed within a bamboo frame, as well as a simple flat wooden frame. Currently disassembled due to some missing parts.

The manufacturer is French, Miroir Brot (Mirrors Brot), dating back to around 1876. Miroir Brot is a Parisian company founded in 1826, specialising in mirror production. In 1875, they patented a revolutionary tri-fold mirror that became popular worldwide, and the KB-391 specimen is an example of that patent. This type of mirror always features the same depiction on Japanese paper.

The Japanese paper features a scene with two herons and two samurai with butterfly wings. In the right corner there is an inscription in ancient Japanese, which was specially written for this type of mirror. Most likely, the scribe is not Japanese, but rather a Frenchman imitating Japanese writing, which is why it is difficult to fully transcribe the inscription. What is readable are the parts:

大極上 supreme quality

化粧用 for cosmetic use

玻璃 type of glass therefore the term 玻璃鏡 refers to a mirror made of this type of glass

製造処 factory

In translation: The best factory of cosmetic mirrors made of ... type of glass. At the beginning of the inscription is the old kanji for Paris: 巴里 followed by the address 89: 八十九番地. The inscription also includes many characters written in katakana, which is characteristic of loanwords in the Japanese language, but deciphering them is more challenging.

The first freestanding metal tubs, primarily made of zinc, weren’t comfortable for sitting and were often covered with various fabrics, as depicted in the famous painting The Death of Marat by David from 1793. In the latter half of the 19^th century, they became more comfortable and greater emphasis was placed on their appearance and design. Zinc was replaced by copper, which not only retained water warmth longer but was also more comfortable for sitting.

By the end of the 19^th century, cast iron bathtubs began to be enamelled on the inside, creating a smooth, more hygienic surface that was easier to maintain.

Inventory number:      KB-149

Material:      wood, porcelain, lead

Dimensions:       116 x 51 x 58 cm

Dating:    late 19th century

Origin:      France

Made by:      Keller et Guérin (K&G) (porcelain part)

 

The washbasin consists of a wooden casing (cedar) with doors and space for accommodating waste water bins, and a ceramic sink painted with the decal technique (transferware) featuring blue begonia leaves. Alongside the basin cavity, there are three smaller grooves for hygiene accessories. This faience sink was produced at the Keller & Guérin factory in Luneville, in southern France. The upper part features a water tank of wooden construction with a marble front. Inside, there is a lead container where water for washing was poured.

Maintaining personal hygiene in the 19^th century, a time when homes did not yet have developed plumbing or sewage systems, was significantly different from today. Water had to be manually brought in, heated, and then the used liquids had to be somehow disposed of from the apartment or house. A dressing table was part of the room’s inventory. On its top or independently, there would be a porcelain basin with a pitcher for washing, also serving as a place for keeping other toiletry items. Over time, in the latter half of the 19^th century, dressing tables began to feature built-in porcelain basins and a water tank that could be filled with warm water. A special mechanism allowed water to drain from the sink into a container placed in a wooden cabinet. When running water was introduced, these dressing tables were moved to bathrooms and, with minor modifications, were connected to the water supply and sewage system.

Inventory number:      KB-131

Material:      wood

Dimensions:      90 x 60 x 60 cm

Dating:    late 19th century

Origin:      France

The table has two tiers and is circularly shaped. The table levels resemble trays that are fixed within the structure of the entire piece. Such tables, where the tray was originally detached from the whole, were initially intended as bedside tables, but later became a part of furniture in other rooms as well.

The table was crafted in the Japanais/Japonisme style, inspired by Japanese art that became available on the European market at the end of the 19^th century, precisely during the period of Japanese history known as the Meiji era (1868 - 1912). During this time, Japanese artists first began showing their work at European exhibitions. Previously, this was not possible, due to Japan’s strict policy of closed borders to foreigners and travel restrictions from the country between 1633 and 1853. Here, it is more the case of a free reinterpretation and a blend of various styles rather than a direct adoption of motifs and ornaments. Vlaho Bukovac acquired most of the Japanese art-related objects found in the Furniture Collection at the Bukovac House in France.

Inventory number:      KB-144

Material:      wood (beech), rattan

Dimensions:      93.5 x 51 x 51 cm

Dating:      late 19th century

Origin:      Austria, Czech Republic or Croatia

This Thonet chair features intricately curved armrests. The seat and backrest are made of woven cane, while the frame is crafted from steamed and bent beechwood. The chair is a derivation of Model 11.

Experimenting on how to create a chair that is simple in design yet elegant, Michael Thonet, a carpenter and furniture designer, arrived at a universal product that has remained unchanged in the market from the second half of the 19^th century to the present day. After moving from Germany to Vienna in 1842, with the help of his sons, he expanded the company, naming it Gebrüder Thonet. By using the technique of steamed, bent beechwood, a simple assembly principle, a small number of components, and a modular design approach, he developed furniture that enabled the company to become a pioneer in global mass production.

Using the same construction principles and standardised elements, they developed their own recognisable style, with their most famous product being a lightweight chair of elegant design, available in several different versions. Thonet chairs rank among the longest-lasting and most popular furniture designs.