Lot 1333 - A200 Decorative Arts - Thursday, 31. March 2022, 10.00 AM
CHANDELIER / "SCHINKEL" CROWN
Neo-Classical, Berlin, early 19th century. Design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841).
Wood, tin and wood composite with oil gilding, arranged in three tiers. Cut-glass hangings. Hexagonal chandelier with six curved light branches on a twisted shaft, ending in palmettes. Pierced decoration in the form of scrolled leaves, rosettes and palmettes. Cut-glass hangings.
W 84 cm, H 89 cm.
Minimally worn, minor traces of oxidation, restored.
Karl Friedrich Schinkel's neo-classical buildings, such as the Old Museum, the New Guardhouse, Tegel Palace, the New Pavilion and many more, still characterize the cityscape of Berlin today. His artistic work, however, was not limited to architecture. Numerous examples of artistic craftsmanship can be traced back to Schinkel's designs, including the chandelier on offer.
Characteristic for the multiple chandelier variations is the use of the so-called 'wood bronze', an innovative technique for the time. The wood bronze was an invention of the two former KPM employees, Mencke and Christian Friedrich Schwitzky, which they patented in 1815 as one of the first substitute materials of industrialization. In this process, actual costly materials, such as bronze or brass, were replaced by carved wooden surrogates, entirely in the spirit of Prussian thrift. Schinkel's chandeliers enjoyed extraordinary popularity among the nobility, as well as the upwardly mobile bourgeoisie, and were produced in various variations for over 10 years in the workshop of Carl August Mencke. For this type of chandelier, the term "Schinkelkrone" has become common usage.
Comparable chandeliers can be found, inter alia, in Eutin Castle (Eutin Castle Foundation Inv. No.: 03031), which features the same semi-circular chandelier branches decorated with vines. Cf. Käthe Klappenbach, "Kronleuchter des 17. bis 20. Jahrhunderts aus Messing, "bronze doré," Zinkguss, Porzellan, Holz, Geweih, Bernstein und Glas" Regensburg, 2019, Ill. 113.
CHF 15 000 / 20 000 | (€ 15 460 / 20 620)
Sold for CHF 14 940 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.