A Viennese cherrywood, mahogany and marquetry work-table "globustischchen"

CIRCA 1820 - 1830

Details
A Viennese cherrywood, mahogany and marquetry work-table "globustischchen"
Circa 1820 - 1830
The globe-shaped body with hinged top inlaid with the Zodiac signs and centred by a star motif, enclosing an architectural fitted interior with a central mirrored open compartment with a triangular pediment and a parquetry floor, flanked to either side by two drawers, above a tray with three lidded compartments and three smaller rectangular open compartments, the lids decorated with palmettes, enclosing a well, with four secret drawers, on waisted ebonized supports, above a concave-sided triangular platform, centred by a circular star-pattern, on ebonized feet, restorations
103cm. high and 44cm. diam.

Lot Essay

This elegant and sophisticated globustisch relates to a drawing for a similar table executed by Friedrich Paulus, a student in Carl Schmidt's drawing school in Vienna, circa 1825, which is illustrated in G. Himmelheber, Biedermeier Furniture, 1973, fig. 13. Interestingly, these marvels of the Viennese Biedermeier era probably derive from the patented 1806 designs for globe writing-tables by the London cabinet-maker George Remington, which were subsequently produced by the celebrated firm of Morgan & Sanders (H. Kreisel G. Himmelheber, ie Kunst des Deutschen Möbels, Mnchen 1986, vol. III, p. 95)

Not surpisingly, this unusual design proved to be much admired by esteemed patrons such as Queen Charlotte, who bought a model as birthday gift for Princess Augusta in 1810 (M. Jourdain, Regency Furniture, London 1965, p. 71, fig. 152)

A similar table was sold anonymously at Christie's London, 7 June 1990, lot 186, and a further example was sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 17 December 1997, lot 402 (NLG 71498).

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