The Travelling court English 2 nd Floor
VIENNESE INTERIOR DESIGN DURING THE EMPIRE AND BIEDERMEIER ERAS In the first half of the 19th century Viennese interior design was defined by the classical Empire and Biedermeier styles. The art of furniture making in the Empire period was characterised by the use of models from antiquity. The furniture often had gilt bronze fittings and threedimensional decorative elements. By contrast, in the Biedermeier era the furniture was characterised by simple forms and smooth wooden surfaces. Native-grown woods such as walnut and cherry were very popular for making furniture. However, when it came to decorating entire rooms it was not only the furniture that was important, but also the fabrics, curtains and wallpapers. The wallpaperer was accorded almost as much importance as the cabinetmaker as a decorator. Furthermore, the capital city and chosen seat of the Austrian monarchy, Vienna, was an important centre for the production of silk cloth and the then modern wallpaper. Empire and Biedermeier styles are usually considered as consecutive. When considering the interior design of the Viennese court, however, it is noticeable that in the period around 1820 they were used concurrently, with the Empire style used in ceremonial areas whilst the simpler forms of the Biedermeier style were preferred for private rooms. The Biedermeier style is usually thought of as being very middle class, but in fact the range of forms it embraces was originally developed for the court and then spread via the nobility to the middle classes. 1 MUSIC ROOM The Empire furniture of the music room, like that of the neighbouring dining room, dates from 1815 and is entirely of mahogany veneer with gilt bronze fittings. The pictorial wallpaper creates the impression of the Brazilian jungle. In the first half of the 19th century this kind of wallpaper frieze depicting fantasy landscapes replaced frescoes and silk coverings as wall decoration. The Viennese court had a particular relationship with Brazil: In 1817 Archduchess Leopoldine, a daughter of Franz II (I) married Pedro of Portugal, the future Emperor of Brazil. The Giraffenklavier made by Martin Seuffert in 1812 is an upright pianoforte. Seuffert is generally regarded as the inventor of this kind of instrument, designed to save space. During the Biedermeier period, when making music at home and music rooms took on social significance, and when Vienna was the centre of the musical world, instrument-making blossomed here. Thus in the years following 1815 there were around 400 piano makers to be found in Vienna. 2 BEDROOM FROM THE INNSBRUCK HOFBURG Mahogany, Fadenmarketerie Ca. 1838 On the occasion of a visit to confer honours made by Emperor Ferdinand I on route to the coronation of the King of Lombardo-Veneto in Milan in 1838, the Innsbruck residence was treated to a complete refurbishment. Bourgeois Innsbruck cabinetmaker Johann Nepomuck Geyr was tasked with providing the new furniture.
3 RECAMIER Maple, carved and painted softwood, ink painting Um 1810 Ca. 1810 This type of daybed is named after Jeanne Récamier, a French author who ran a political and literary salon in Paris around 1800 and who opposed Napoleon Bonaparte. However, in the original couch, which dates from the late 1790s and harks back to antique precursors as used by Madame Récamier, the two outward sweeping armrests at the head and foot were symmetrical. VIENNESE HISTORICISM IN INTERIOR DESIGN In the period from 1840 to 1850 the Biedermeier style was gradually replaced by the forms of Historicism. During the late 18th century individual examples of an architecture and interior design which drew on models from antiquity could be found, and in the second half of the 19th century building design and arts and crafts were characterised by the multiplicity of styles of eclecticism. This is clearly demonstrated by the impressive monumental buildings on the Wiener Ringstrasse where a neo-gothic Town Hall, a Greek revivalist parliament building and a university in the neo-renaissance style were built alongside each other. Similarly the influence of various different styles made itself felt in Viennese interior design during the period which saw the building of the Ringstrasse. This was largely the result of an iconic relationship between the function and the design of the room. So, for example, the study and dining room or library might be decorated in a Renaissance style, whilst the salon and lady s room might be better suited to the lighter more cheerful Rococo style. Wiener Ringstrasse are very different from the unpretentious but comfortable living rooms of the Biedermeier era. 4 BEDROOM Black stained softwood, mother of pearl inlay Ca.1880 This bedroom installation is a typical example of neo- Renaissance furniture used by the Viennese bourgeoisie in the late 19th century. All of the furniture is characterised by the use of mother of pearl inlaid in black stained wood. Among Viennese antique dealers this kind of furniture is referred to as Makart furniture, in reference to the artist Hans Makart. 5 ANTLER ROOM Deer antlers, leather upholstery Ca. 1900 One of the many aspects associated with a passion for hunting is the use of antlers and other hunting trophies for making furniture and in interior design. From around the first quarter of the 19th century it became common to find specially decorated hunting rooms in the country homes of the aristocracy. These rooms were usually hung with hunting trophies and fitted out with furniture made from antlers. In the second half of the 19th century hunting increasingly became a passion among the bourgeoisie too, and the production of furniture made from antlers became a special branch of the furniture-making industry. The examples displayed here belonged to the Imperial court confectioner Adolf Eitel and were made in the workshop of Rudolf Brix around 1900. Another important point with regard to Historicism in interior design was the attempt to create stylish rooms, which meant that all the objects and decorative details in a room decorated in the historical style must co-ordinate with each other. Living rooms from the time of the
6 DINING ROOM Walnut with metal inlay 1877 This neo-renaissance style dining room furniture was designed by architect Gustav Gugitz, a professor at the Viennese Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Applied Arts), and made by the Viennese court cabinetmaker Heinrich Imler. The grandfather clock bears the date of manufacture 1877. In 1879 the furniture ensemble was featured in the Zeitschrift für Kunstgewerbe (Journal of Applied Arts) as an inspirational design.