The Baroque Era - Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and Switzerland - 2

Paul Decker (1677 - 1713) was a native of Nuremberg who went to work as a designer in Berlin. His designs included some for lacquerwork and it is possible that he was associated with Gerhard Dagly, who was there at the same time. Dagly's work for Friedrich Wilhelm and the latter's successor, Frederick I, was chiefly the decoration of fitted and non fitted furniture in chinoiseries of an unusual kind.
Decorators in lacquer mostly imitated the Chinese and Japanese standard products, using gold figures on a black, red, or green ground. Dagly brought a welcome airiness to the heavy Baroque atmosphere by working on pale coloured grounds, achieving effects that were light hearted and charming. His was nevertheless dismissed from his post in 1713, and his chief assistant, Martin Schnell (fl.1703 - 1740) returned to his birthplace, Dresden.

 

Schnell worked for Augustus the Strong (the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony) as a painter of porcelain at Meissen. He also painted handmade furniture and seems to have specialized in decorating bureaux. 

the German fall-front bureau in the late 17th and early 18th centuries was often inspired by Anglo-Dutch models, and when it was given a cabinet above, this had doors fitted with arched panels of wood or mirror-class (not, at that time, clear glass).

In the South, Italian influence helped to dictate the design of a three-stage article that, by the middle of the 18th century, had developed into a characteristic German form. The base consisted of a three-drawer chest or commode with serpentine front. Above this was the desk section, with sloping fall-front enclosing a fitted interior. On top again was the Tabernakel, consisting of a central cupboard flanked by a bank of small drawers, usually four or five each side. Despite the relatively late date, the style is still Baroque in spirit. The wood is usually walnut veneer with wide cross-banding and linear marquetry. This type was also made in Austria, and given as a wedding gift. 

 

Switzerland, in spite of the infiltration of ideas from surrounding countries, nevertheless evolved a national style. Pine was the principal timber for those carcase pieces intended to be painted in cheerful colours with flowers. All the Alpine countries cultivated this type of peasant tradition, sometimes using the paint to imitate the grain of expensive woods.

to be continued...