Work box in the form of a peacock
This inventive sewing box in the form of a displaying peacock was likely made in one of the leading cabinetmaking workshops in nineteenth-century Berlin. Its condition is impeccable, owing to the fine cut of seasoned wood and the measures taken by the master to ensure its long-term stability. It is a tour de force of furniture making. According to Dr. Samuel Wittwer, Director of the Palaces and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg, an eminent German furniture scholar, the present piece is likely a unique creation. The use of distinctive "pyramid" mahogany, that is, mahogany whose grain structure is decoratively figured and culminates in a point, is a strong keynote of high-quality furniture in Berlin from 1815-1835. Even the seemingly simple geometric base shows excellent technique; the veneer is of the finest “pyramid-grained” mahogany and has been skillfully applied to the panels’ concave surfaces, evidence of the cabinetmaker’s mastery.
Artwork Details
- Title: Work box in the form of a peacock
- Date: ca. 1830
- Culture: German, probably Berlin
- Medium: Mahogany, coniferous wood (pine?), oak; birch, boxwood, ebonized wood; inlay of sycamore, green stained holly, mahogany; bone, silver-gilt, blued steel, brass, velvet, printed paper
- Dimensions: 67 5/16 × 40 3/16 × 28 1/8 in. (171 × 102 × 71.5 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Purchase, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Acquisitions Fund, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.25a–cc
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1828
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1833–34
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Werner & Mieth, Berlin
ca. 1810
Carl von Scheidt
1816
Carl von Scheidt
ca. 1830
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