DOI Heft:
No. 71 (february 1899)
DOI Artikel:Schölermann, Wilhelm: Modern fine and applied art in Vienna
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19231#0043
Art in Vienna
Baron Albert Rothschild, Sir Spenser Ponsonby
Fane and the Under Secretary of State for India.
In introducing modern furniture of quite recent
date from England and America, chief stress has
been laid upon lightness of material and cheap-
ness, so as to get things that may be used with
advantage by the middle classes and improve
their artistic tastes. People over here, being
mostly accustomed to heavy furniture (made of
soft kinds of wood), are very prone to misappre-
hension when they see a table made of hard
EMBOSSED COPPER CANDLESTICK DESIGNED BY R. HAMMEL
material or a chair that can be lifted up without
using both arms! They have yet to learn that
stability does not depend upon weight alone,
but upon proper construction and distribution,
such as is shown to perfection by the Anglo-
American examples of household furniture ex-
hibited here.
Among the other sections of applied art, I may
mention some artistically executed book-covers
and bindings in leather and wood, exhibited by
CUP FOR CIGAR-ASHES BY R- HAMMEL
A. Forster, a specimen of which is reproduced
on page 35. The design is done by hand on the
cover, by aid of the encaustic method.
Modern glass-ware and pottery were exhibited by
Lobmeyer, Bakalowitz, Count Harrach and others.
Besides some real Tiffany glass, there was a kind of
imitation Tiffany possessing very good colour
effects and forms, but lacking the beautiful velvet
softness of the opaque glasses of American origin.
The impression derived from these various con
tributions to the Museum exhibition is, that some-
thing is "in the air " in the old Kaiserstadt, which,
let us sincerely hope, will eventually lead to a
CUP FOR CIGAR-ASHES BY R. HAMMEL
33
Baron Albert Rothschild, Sir Spenser Ponsonby
Fane and the Under Secretary of State for India.
In introducing modern furniture of quite recent
date from England and America, chief stress has
been laid upon lightness of material and cheap-
ness, so as to get things that may be used with
advantage by the middle classes and improve
their artistic tastes. People over here, being
mostly accustomed to heavy furniture (made of
soft kinds of wood), are very prone to misappre-
hension when they see a table made of hard
EMBOSSED COPPER CANDLESTICK DESIGNED BY R. HAMMEL
material or a chair that can be lifted up without
using both arms! They have yet to learn that
stability does not depend upon weight alone,
but upon proper construction and distribution,
such as is shown to perfection by the Anglo-
American examples of household furniture ex-
hibited here.
Among the other sections of applied art, I may
mention some artistically executed book-covers
and bindings in leather and wood, exhibited by
CUP FOR CIGAR-ASHES BY R- HAMMEL
A. Forster, a specimen of which is reproduced
on page 35. The design is done by hand on the
cover, by aid of the encaustic method.
Modern glass-ware and pottery were exhibited by
Lobmeyer, Bakalowitz, Count Harrach and others.
Besides some real Tiffany glass, there was a kind of
imitation Tiffany possessing very good colour
effects and forms, but lacking the beautiful velvet
softness of the opaque glasses of American origin.
The impression derived from these various con
tributions to the Museum exhibition is, that some-
thing is "in the air " in the old Kaiserstadt, which,
let us sincerely hope, will eventually lead to a
CUP FOR CIGAR-ASHES BY R. HAMMEL
33