1920s German Chinoiserie Table

French gate-leg table, circa 1650. Oak with metal fittings. Measures: Height 28 ¼“ width 54“ depth 20 ½“ / 41 ½“/ 62“ $20,000. This solid oak French Baroque table...

Our table was made of birch, solid and veneered, stained a rich brown, and topped off with a slab of Bohemian breccia marble. We date it to around 1928, and attribute the design to Fritz August Breuhaus de Groot, who coined the term Kultivierte Sachlichkeit (Cultured Objectivity) to describe his work, and distinguish it from the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) practiced by his contemporaries Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Lily Reich. The table bears a passing resemblance to a considerably simplified, marble-topped ovoid one that he designed for his 1934 Berlin living room. Breuhaus was a man on the make. The first of his three marriages was to the daughter of an industrialist, who financed the building of luxury villas and workers’ housing designed by his son-in-law. In 1929, Breuhaus, the son of a dentist, added “de Groot” to his name, falsely linking himself to a distinguished family of painters. By then, he’d been fudging his academic record for years. That didn’t prevent a teaching appointment at the State University of Bavaria, which allowed him to add the prestigious “Herr Professor” prefix to his name. Yet he never followed through on the teaching — he was far too busy designing more luxury villas (commissions he accepted only if he could furnish them as well), and products for his own company, which included furniture, textiles, wallpapers, lighting, and fine silver. In addition to designing aircraft interiors for Lufthansa, and pullman railroad...

Italy 1920s very elegant and graceful Baroque revival round centre table or coffee table, in solid hand carved walnut, with the top in burl walnut with inlay. Polished with wax. Mea...

This rare center table was produced in Germany in the late 1920s. Although the maker and designer remain unknown, the high level of craftsmanship and choice of material make this an exceptional occasional table. The originality of the design perfectly illustrates the duality of the 1920s German Art...