Horn furniture

Last updated
An elk horn chair in the Nevada State Capitol ElkHornChair.jpg
An elk horn chair in the Nevada State Capitol
Geweihsessel Geweihsessel.JPG
Geweihsessel
Leuchterweibchen (Female candle) at the Jagdschloss Grunewald Jagdschloss Grunewald-80.jpg
Leuchterweibchen (Female candle) at the Jagdschloss Grunewald

Horn furniture is a name given to furniture which is manufactured completely by shed antlers or pieces of furniture such as e.g. cabinets which are appliqued with antler elements such as carved horn roses or with antler pieces from tusks, fallow deer, stag and deer. Trophies of chase have already been used during the late Middle Age for furnishing and in modern times furniture makers use the horns and antlers of animals such as cattle (usually longhorned ones), antelope, moose and elk. [1]

Contents

History

Antlers were already used in the late 15th century as a source material for clothes hooks, storage racks and chandeliers, the so-called "lusterweibchen". [2] Furniture made by antlers have been invented in the 19th century and can therefore be assigned to the Biedermeier period. [3] They were exclusively made for the European nobility to decorate their hunting castles and various manors. Historically mentioned horn furniture was developed in the year 1825 for a hunting castle of the count William of Nassau near Wiesbaden, Germany, A photograph of 1890 is the single existing evidence as the castles was destroyed in World War II and the interior furniture is regarded as lost. Further known collections of historic horn furniture are credited with the hunting room in the country estate of the Brandhof of the Archduke Johann of Austria or the antler collection of count Arco in Munich, Germany. Many other examples of horn furniture of that time can only be found with drawings and pictures, e.g. Joseph Danhauser (1780–1829) an Austrian furniture manufacturer left hundreds of drawing and another well-known aquarelle is the dressing room of Ferdinand Baron von Hildprandt. [4]

Elkhorn chair presented to Rutherford B. Hayes by Seth Kinman in 1876 1876 Hayes Elkhorn chair Bowles.jpg
Elkhorn chair presented to Rutherford B. Hayes by Seth Kinman in 1876

The ambitious European middle-class people embodied a lifestyle trend of the cultivation of home décor during the second half of the 19th century. [5] [6] With the increasing popularity of the World Exhibitions furniture styling trends became more and more accessible. The London World Exhibition in 1851 presented antler furniture as one of its great novelties. The Hamburg sculptor and ivory carver H.F.C.Rampendahl exhibited horn furniture pieces such as bureaus, chairs and sofa. [7] Many other artists followed and the manufacturing of horn furniture finalized in a serial production via catalogue sales. [8]

Popular horn furniture was related to the following well-known designers and or company names in Germany and Austria such as Gustav Lorenz, Heinrich Keitel, Kurt Schicker, Rudolf Brix, Vitus Madel & Sohn. In the United States the most famous designer was Friedrich Wenzel. [9] Their portfolio covered the complete market of furnishings and additionally a lot of houseware.

The horn furniture trend suddenly ended at the end of the 1920s and the production was ceased completely. During the post-war period in Europe only individual orders could be recognized by antique furnishing experts.

The lodge style and cabin décor trend in modern households today is facing a reinvigorated demand for horn furniture. Home décor magazines show modern reproductions of seating horn furniture, lamps, candle stick and other small furniture.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peleș Castle</span> Building in Sinaia, Romania

Peleș Castle is a Neo-Renaissance palace in the Royal Domain of Sinaia in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914. Its inauguration was held in 1883. It was constructed for King Carol I of Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red deer</span> Species of hoofed mammal

The red deer is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa; being the only living species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. In many parts of the world, the meat (venison) from red deer is used as a food source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nymphenburg Palace</span> Baroque palace in Munich, Germany

The Nymphenburg Palace is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the former rulers of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach. Combined with the adjacent Nymphenburg Palace Park it constitutes one of the premier royal palaces of Europe. Its frontal width of 632 m (2,073 ft) even surpasses Versailles Palace.

Shabby chic is a style of interior design that chooses either furniture and furnishings for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or distresses new ones to achieve the same result. Unlike much genuine period décor, this style features a soft, pastel-colored, cottage look.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biedermeier</span> 19th century art movement from Central Europe

The Biedermeier period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle classes grew in number and the arts began to appeal to their sensibilities. The period began with the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and ended with the onset of the Revolutions of 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munich Residenz</span> Building in Munich, Germany

The Residenz in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buda Castle</span> Castle complex in Budapest, Hungary

Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the site was built between 1749 and 1769. The complex in the past was referred to as either the Royal Palace or the Royal Castle. The castle now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest Historical Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moritzburg Castle</span> Castle in Saxony, Germany

Moritzburg Castle or Moritzburg Palace is a Baroque palace in Moritzburg, in the German state of Saxony, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical artificial island. It is named after Duke Moritz of Saxony, who had a hunting lodge built there between 1542 and 1546. The surrounding woodlands and lakes were a favourite hunting area of the electors and kings of Saxony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schloss Favorite, Ludwigsburg</span> German Baroque pleasure palace

Schloss Favorite is a Baroque maison de plaisance and hunting lodge in Ludwigsburg, Germany, which was used as a summer residence and hunting lodge. It is located on a rise, directly north of Ludwigsburg Palace to which it is connected via an avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château d'Azay-le-Ferron</span>

Château d'Azay-le-Ferron is a 15th-century castle and 17th-century manor located in the commune of Azay-le-Ferron in the Indre département of France. It features a garden à la française and a French landscape garden dating to the 17th century, redone in the 19th and 20th century. The interior is richly furnished. The château is owned by the city of Tours and is open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tratzberg Castle</span>

Tratzberg Castle is a castle in Jenbach, Tyrol, Austria. Tratzberg Castle is located on a steep ridge above Jenbach in the Austrian part of Tyrol. It is an excellent example of palace architecture typical for the alpine parts of the Holy Roman Empire during the late Gothic and early Renaissance period. The castle was built in its present form in 1500 mostly by the brothers Veit-Jakob and Simon Tänzl. Today Tratzberg Castle is owned and inhabited by Count Ulrich Goëss-Enzenberg and his wife Katrin Goëss-Enzenberg. Tratzberg is also one of the best preserved castles in Austria, having many of its original furnishings and fittings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jósika Castle</span> Building in Sălaj County, Romania

The Jósika estate in Surduc, a village in Sălaj County, Romania, consists of a low-rise castle on the left bank of Someș River and a tempietto built on a steep cliff at the entrance from Jibou into the village. Here lived and worked between 1834 and 1853 writer Miklós Jósika, founder of the Hungarian romantic novel. Between the walls of the castle, he wrote the historical novel Abafi, his style being likened to Scottish writer Walter Scott. Members of the Jósika family, originating in the north of the current Hunedoara County, contributed significantly to the erection and final appearance of the castle. It is important from a historical perspective, because here Prince of Transylvania Francis II Rákóczi served a last lunch with László Csáky before the battle of Zsibó of 15 November 1705, lost to the Austrian imperial army led by General Ludwig von Herbeville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goût Rothschild</span> Style of interior decorating

Le goût Rothschild, describes a detailed, elaborate style of interior decoration and living which had its origin in France, Britain, Austria, and Germany during the nineteenth century, when the rich, famous, and powerful Rothschild family was at its height. The Rothschild aesthetic and life-style later influenced other rich and powerful families, including the Astors, Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, and became hallmarks of the American Gilded Age. Aspects of le goût Rothschild continued into the twentieth century, affecting such designers as Yves Saint Laurent and Robert Denning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckhorn Saloon & Museum (San Antonio)</span> Wildlife exhibits, Shooting gallery, Texas Rangers exhibit in Texas, US

The Buckhorn Saloon & Museum is a privately run museum located at 318 E. Houston Street in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Originally privately owned by Albert Friedrich, the Buckhorn became a tourist attraction for its unique collections. Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were reputed to frequent the establishment. Housed in 1956 in the Old Lone Star Brewery, the collection passed to Friedrich's heirs who had it moved to its current location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rococo Revival</span>

The Rococo Revival style emerged in Second Empire France and then was adapted in England. Revival of the rococo style was seen all throughout Europe during the 19th century within a variety of artistic modes and expression including decorative objects of art, paintings, art prints, furniture, and interior design. In much of Europe and particularly in France, the original rococo was regarded as a national style, and to many, its reemergence recalled national tradition. Rococo revival epitomized grandeur and luxury in European style and was another expression of 19th century romanticism and the growing interest and fascination with natural landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lusterweibchen</span>

Lusterweibchen is a style of chandelier. It has a horizontal antler fixed with a carved wooden sculpture. The German term “Lüsterweibchen” refers to the sculpture, while the lamp itself is categorized as a type of horn furniture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Goldener Hirsch</span> Hotel in Salzburg, Austria

The Hotel Goldener Hirsch is a five-star hotel located at Getreidegasse 37 in the Altstadt of Salzburg, Austria. The hotel includes the adjacent house at Getreidegasse 35 and the nearby goldsmith house at Getreidegasse 46. The Goldener Hirsch is listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Altstadt Salzburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charivari (decorative chain)</span>

Charivari is a piece of traditional Bavarian costume jewellery made of solid silver or of rare silver-plated chain, adorned with trinkets, gemstone, coins, horn discs, carved deer teeth, antlers, animal paws, badger hair, or other game teeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagdschloss Grunewald</span> Hunting lodge and art museum

The Jagdschloss Grunewald, a hunting lodge, is the oldest preserved castle of Berlin, Germany. It is on the south waterfront of the Grunewaldsee and is part of the locality Dahlem in the borough Steglitz-Zehlendorf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Paris Apartment</span>

The Paris Apartment is a style of interior design where the focus is on the French boudoir and all things related to and inspired by French design and decor. The style incorporates all aspects of design, from the ceiling to the floor, walls and trims to the furniture, light fixtures, curtains, soft furnishings, books, and color palette. The boudoir furnishings used include chaise lounges, vanities, slipper chairs, beds, daybeds, nightstands, chandeliers, sconces, lamps, paintings, armoires, dressers, mirrors, and rugs. Each is hand crafted and all have worn, original painted patinas, traditional French details, and generally range in time period from 18th Century France through the Art Deco period. Treating these historic items as important heirlooms and caring for them as stewards is as important as the aesthetics themselves. The style includes other international items with character to complete the look so that it can be seen both as a collection and as a style of decoration reflecting one's individuality.

References

  1. http://www.antiques-bible.com/victorian-horn-chair/
  2. Dagmar Preising, Michael Rief, Christine Vogt (hrsg): Artefakt und Naturwunder - Das Leuterweibchen der Sammlung Ludwig, Katalog zur Ausstellung in der Ludwig Galerie, Oberhausen 2011, ISBN   978-3-86678-512-0
  3. Christopher Payne: 19th CENTURY EUROPEAN FURNITURE Antique Collectors' Club, England 1981
  4. Sabine Spindler: Geweihmöbel 1825–1925. Klaus Spindler, München 2006
  5. "Mid-Century Style Guide". www.roveconcepts.com.
  6. Bruce M. Newman: Fantasy Furniture. Rizzoli, New York 1989
  7. "Armchair - Rampendahl, H. F. C. - V&A Search the Collections". 1860.
  8. Georg Olms: August Stukenbrok Illustrierter Hauptkatalog. Olmspresse, Hildesheim 1972
  9. W., ST. JOHN, RICHARD (12 June 2010). "FRIEDRICH, WENZEL".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)