Lot Essay
See colour illustration (p. 49)
A baby cradle and a three-fold screen, designed by Johan Thorn Prikker and executed by Johan Coenraad Altorf, 1901
Johan Thorn Prikker (1868-1932) was at the dawn of the Symbolist movement, together with Jan Toorop, Antoon der Kinderen and Richard N. Roland Holst. With the architects K.P.C. de Bazel and J.L.M. Lauweriks he pioneered the so-called 'versierkunst' (ornamental style).
Among the few contemporary admirors of Thorn Prikker's work were the art pedagogue and art critic H.P. Bremmer and the patron Dr. W.J. Leuring. The latter commissioned Thorn Prikker to design a monumental wall-painting for his house in Scheveningen (Wagenaarweg 30) which had been built by Henri van de Velde in 1902. It was Van de Velde who introduced Thorn Prikker to the arts and crafts desgin. In 1898 Thorn Prikker joined the Arts & Crafts Gallery in The Hague, which specialised in Dutch and international decorative arts, and were he was responsible for artistic integrity until 1900. In 1904 Thorn Prikker left for Germany where he was to stay for the rest of his life.
Dr. W.J. Leuring commissioned the cradle and screen from Thorn Prikker for the occassion of the birth of his first child. Originally a cupboard for children's clothes, of which the where abouts at present are unknown, completed the set. These three pieces were exhibited in 1901 at the international exhibition at Villa Boschoord in The Hague.
When Thorn Prikker designed the shop front for the Arts & Crafts Gallery in The Hague in 1898, he asked J.C. Altorf to take care of the execution. This was the start of a friendship as well as of artistic collaboration on more projects. Altorf was, for example, also involved in the execution of the previous mentioned wall-painting and made the stone relief above the front door of the house depicting seagulls.
Johan Coenraad Altorf (1876-1955), a son of a cabinet maker, was originally trained in the making and decorating of furniture and established himself as a sculptor at the turn of the century. Besides sculptures in wood, ivory, stone and bronze, his ornamentation of architectural settings is an important part of his oeuvre.
Naturally between Thorn Prikker and Altorf there would have been intensive discussion over the finishing of the cradle and the screen. It would seem, in case of the cradle, that Prikker's contribution was the overall structural design and the design of the head- and footboard and the openwork sides. The grasshopper on the front of the footboard relates directly to a watercolour by Thorn Prikker.
Altorf's contribution to the final result may, however, be greater than it was first thought. The frieze panels of frogs and grasshoppers on the sides of the cradle fall easily within Altorf's oeuvre of this period as do the small ivory corner pieces.
When considering the ribbon-like curvilinear decoration Altorf applied in some of his early work, it can be suggested that he was responsible for the design of the ivory animal elements and for the decoration on the back of the headboard.
This suggestion could be strengthened by the following words which were used by the art critic Albert Plassschaert in 1904 in an article on Altorf: "The first work from him (Altorf), which I saw, was at the international exhibition at Boschoord in The Hague. There were carvings and small sculptures and immediately I was struck by the singular spirit and the decorative purity with which the ribbon pattern decoration was made on a cradle designed by Thorn Prikker" (A. Plasschaert, Onze Kunst, Vol. 3, May 1904, p. 154).)
Both the carving on the screen, which is carried out within the same traditons as the head- and footboard of the cradle, as well as the design of the inlaid ivory work, which is typical of Thorn Prikker in this period, present no artistic interference from Altorf.
We are very grateful to Drs. P.A. Terwen who supplied us with very useful information and helped us in cataloguing these lots. Mr. Terwen is currently preparing a monograph and oeuvre catalogue on the life and work of J.C. Altorf.
A CARVED WALNUT AND IVORY BABY CRADLE, designed by Johan Thorn Prikker and executed by Johan Coenraad Altorf, the four flaring square section legs terminating in inverted semi-hoof shapes, each mounted with an elaborate carved ivory seated animal: a cat, a boar, a dog and a monkey, the flaring rectangular headboard with slightly arched top carved in low-relief with a stylized fowl-couple, the male with long tail, surrounded by stylized flowerheads, and on the reverse with a curvilinear ribbon-motif, the flaring rectangular footboard carved in low-relief with a stylized grasshopper, the rectangular sloping side panels each carved with lizzards and grasshoppers and openworked to depict stylized snails, the top of footboard and side panels inlayed with rectangular strips of ivory, the four legs joined below the cradle with H-stretcher and set near the base on rectangular stretcher with protruding ends, each leg strengthened by two shaped supports carved with a snail and a frog, on coasters, 1901
Details
A CARVED WALNUT AND IVORY BABY CRADLE, designed by Johan Thorn Prikker and executed by Johan Coenraad Altorf, the four flaring square section legs terminating in inverted semi-hoof shapes, each mounted with an elaborate carved ivory seated animal: a cat, a boar, a dog and a monkey, the flaring rectangular headboard with slightly arched top carved in low-relief with a stylized fowl-couple, the male with long tail, surrounded by stylized flowerheads, and on the reverse with a curvilinear ribbon-motif, the flaring rectangular footboard carved in low-relief with a stylized grasshopper, the rectangular sloping side panels each carved with lizzards and grasshoppers and openworked to depict stylized snails, the top of footboard and side panels inlayed with rectangular strips of ivory, the four legs joined below the cradle with H-stretcher and set near the base on rectangular stretcher with protruding ends, each leg strengthened by two shaped supports carved with a snail and a frog, on coasters, 1901
142.5cm. high x 111.5cm. long x 77.7cm. wide
142.5cm. high x 111.5cm. long x 77.7cm. wide
Provenance
Dr. W.J. Leuring, The Hague
thence by descent
thence by descent
Literature
Exhibition catalogue Villa Boschoord, The Hague, 1901, cat. no. 4, for the cradle, cat. no. 5, for the screen and cat. no. 6 for the cupboard
Philip Zilcken, Elzeviers Geïllustreerd Maandschrift, XXIV, vol. XXII, "Johan Thorn Prikker", 1902, p. 147-160 (ill.)
J. Plasschaert, Onze Kunst, vol. 3, May 1904, p. 154
F. Bruckmann, Decoratieve Kunst, part XIII, "Das Landhaus Leurings in Wittenburg", 1905, p. 177 and further illustration p. 187
C. van der Sluys, Binnenhuiskunst, Amsterdam, 1921, p. 111 and ill. 167
L. Gans (inl), Exhibition catalogue, Jugendstil Nieuwe Kunst Art Nouveau, The Hague, 1960/61, cat. nos. 561 and 562 (ill.)
P. Wember, Johan Thorn Prikker, Krefeld, 1966, p 45, ill. 11
Philip Zilcken, Elzeviers Geïllustreerd Maandschrift, XXIV, vol. XXII, "Johan Thorn Prikker", 1902, p. 147-160 (ill.)
J. Plasschaert, Onze Kunst, vol. 3, May 1904, p. 154
F. Bruckmann, Decoratieve Kunst, part XIII, "Das Landhaus Leurings in Wittenburg", 1905, p. 177 and further illustration p. 187
C. van der Sluys, Binnenhuiskunst, Amsterdam, 1921, p. 111 and ill. 167
L. Gans (inl), Exhibition catalogue, Jugendstil Nieuwe Kunst Art Nouveau, The Hague, 1960/61, cat. nos. 561 and 562 (ill.)
P. Wember, Johan Thorn Prikker, Krefeld, 1966, p 45, ill. 11
Exhibited
The Hague, International Exhibition at Villa Boschoord, 1901, cat. nos 4 and 5
The Hague, Jugendstil Nieuwe Kunst Art Nouveau, 1960/61, cat. nos. 561 and 562
The Hague, Jugendstil Nieuwe Kunst Art Nouveau, 1960/61, cat. nos. 561 and 562