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拍品專文
Koloman Moser's corner cabinet 'Die Verwunschenen Prinzessinnen' attracted considerable attention when shown in the VIII Secessionist Exhibition in Vienna in 1900. It was described in a contemporary account as the highlight of his work. Conceived originally to stand in a corner, at least two other examples of the cabinet are documented of rectangular section designed to be set flat against a wall. The present corner version is the only such version known and it seems most likely that this is the very cabinet featured in the Vienna 1900 exhibition.
An example of the rectangular section version was sold at Sotheby's Monte Carlo, 7th October, 1984, Lot 185 and sold for an aggregate price of FF2,331,000 (GBP194,250). The principal difference beyond the rectangular as opposed to triangular section was in the nature of the glass teardrops which graced the doors. They were of iridescent glass rather than the carved green glass of the present cabinet. A smaller difference was in the lockplate. In the Monte Carlo version, the repoussé decoration was visible from behind. The present example has a more finished lockplate, filled on the reverse with a flat backing panel. Another rectangular section version, lacking the left hand side door, is in the collection the Budapest Museum.
This cabinet encapsulates Moser's important contribution to avant garde design in Vienna around the turn of the century. The theme of the Enchanted Princesses, with its romantic Symbolist overtones, rendered in flat stylised decoration, marks the influence of Art Nouveau and of Japanese design. The simple rectilinear form anticipates the role which Moser and his contemporaries, notably Hoffmann, Wagner and Loos, were to play in proposing a clean-lined, modern style appropriate for the new century.
An example of the rectangular section version was sold at Sotheby's Monte Carlo, 7th October, 1984, Lot 185 and sold for an aggregate price of FF2,331,000 (GBP194,250). The principal difference beyond the rectangular as opposed to triangular section was in the nature of the glass teardrops which graced the doors. They were of iridescent glass rather than the carved green glass of the present cabinet. A smaller difference was in the lockplate. In the Monte Carlo version, the repoussé decoration was visible from behind. The present example has a more finished lockplate, filled on the reverse with a flat backing panel. Another rectangular section version, lacking the left hand side door, is in the collection the Budapest Museum.
This cabinet encapsulates Moser's important contribution to avant garde design in Vienna around the turn of the century. The theme of the Enchanted Princesses, with its romantic Symbolist overtones, rendered in flat stylised decoration, marks the influence of Art Nouveau and of Japanese design. The simple rectilinear form anticipates the role which Moser and his contemporaries, notably Hoffmann, Wagner and Loos, were to play in proposing a clean-lined, modern style appropriate for the new century.