Lot 33

Joseph Ulrich Danhauser (1780 - 1829) (workshop) PAIR OF EMPIRE CHESTS OF DRAWERS

Joseph Ulrich Danhauser is one of the most significant figures in Viennese Empire and early Biedermeier furniture design of the first third of the 19th century. His workshop, based in Vienna, was an exceptionally progressive enterprise that succeeded in blending the stately courtly aesthetics of late Classicism with new demands. Danhauser’s furniture is valued today not only for its high craftsmanship but also for its ability to synthesize the French Empire style with Austrian tradition and the emerging Biedermeier aesthetic. Unlike the French Empire style, Central European design often appears more subtle. Danhauser placed greater emphasis on user comfort and visual lightness. Seating furniture features softer lines, elegantly curved armrests, and more delicate proportions. Today, Danhauser’s furniture represents the pinnacle of Austrian craftsmanship from the Biedermeier and Empire periods. Surviving pieces can be found in major museums of decorative arts, such as the Museum für angewandte Kunst Wien or the imperial collections at Schönbrunn Palace. An exceptionally progressive element was the use of sample books and catalogs. Danhauser published illustrated furniture designs from which clients could choose individual models. Danhauser did not merely sell individual pieces of furniture, but a comprehensive aesthetic concept of living. This method of presentation was exceptionally modern for its time. Danhauser’s Empire style is therefore significant not only as a stylistic phase in the art of furniture-making, but also as a cultural expression of the transformation of society after 1800 — a company that is beginning to view interiors as spaces that are both representative and intimate. The matching chests of drawers on offer embody this synthesis of decorative Empire style with the simple design of the emerging Biedermeier period. The carved, polychrome decorations, featuring their original gilding, take the form of lion’s paws and caryatids. The griffin-themed hardware is made of fire-gilded bronze. A total of three lockable drawers. The matching chests of drawers are part of a set that belonged to the last Maltese Knight in Bohemia. Completely restored.