Russian 19th Century Mahogany 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...

This table’s bold, graphic, and geometrical marquetry in satinwood and rosewood recalls the paintings of Bridget Riley and other 1960s Op Art artists. The patterning even extends to...

This Chinese standing screen has a main panel, and a lower panel flanked by two smaller ones, which were made in the 19th century as fretwork window panels for a house. In the 20th century they were salvaged, assembled, and mounted in a matching hardwood stand as a freestanding screen...

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Biedermeier Mahogany Oval Side Table From the Late 19th century We present you this mahogany side table from the late 19th century. The top, made of a solid mahogany board, is sup...

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19th century oak side table from France, with a beveled and hand carved decorated edge around the top, surrounding an exquisitely hand carved central scene, depicting scrolls, acanth...

A very lovely 19th century side table from the Provence region of France. Wonderfully constructed from walnut with exceptional patina - rich and luminous.