International studio (21.1903/1904(1904))

Everybody admits that it is comfortable—spite of
occasional squeaks and cracks, for it is roomy,
convenient, and moderate in price, and although it
may not quite come up to one's idea of the
artistic, and conform to strict ruies of harmony,
still it manages to Rt in everywhere, for it is modest
and unassuming. This, no doubt, accounts for the
fact that for many years no one thought of applying
the harmonious iine to wicker furniture.
For aquarter of a Century these chairs and tables
have been made in Austria after English patterns,
and these articles were exported to England and
other countries, Great Britain being the chief buyer.
Since the birtlr of modern art in Vienna some six
or seven years ago, many great artists have devoted
a share of their energies to the hurnble basket-work,
with a result which is worthy of all praise.
Nor is it in the outer form alone that the chair
has departed front its old shape, for special
materials are also designed for upholstering it. A
few years ago, who would have thought of using
brown chamois leather for this purpose, or of the
delightful comfort of sinking into such a material ?
Who would have thought of such men as Kolo
Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Leopold Bauer, and other
well-known artists, making special designs for the
material to line such chairs, and of Backhausen and
Sons as the manufacturers of them ? or of as much
attention being paid to padding them as to the
most expensive of armchairs? Yet such is the
case ; and instead of the loose padding, which often
slipped front its place under the chintz and dimity
and cretonne coverings, we have firm, yet elastic
upholstery, which makes the comfortable chair still

WICKER CHAIR

DESIGNED BY H. VOLLMER
EXECUTED HY PRAG-RUDNIKER
STUFE HY HANS SCHARFEN

WICKER CHAIRS

rnore comfortable, and is, besides, a perfect delight
for tired limbs. The new form has not been
arrived at without much difhculty. It is not
sufficient to know that the willow is adaptable for
household furniture, but it is necessary at the same
time to know the exact amount of its tractability, and
how to secure the greatest amount of this tractability,
and at the same time pro-
duce the greatest amount
of resistance.
In delicate work no one
can beat the Chinese and
Japanese ; their native wil-
low is rnore suitable for the
lighter articles than is the
European, and even when,
as in Austria, large quanti-
ties are imported from these
respective countries, they
still have the advantage,
because they can produce
their work at a much lower
price than the Europeans.
But in the heavier basket-
work and in novelty of
patterns Austria has the
advantage.

DESIGNED BY H. VOLLMER
EXECUTED BY PRAG-RUDNIKER
STUFF BY JOSEF HOFFMANN

324