Large Gothic Revival German Carved Oak Cabinet, 1883

A monumental Gothic Revival display cabinet or bookcase from the late 19th century. Almost 3 metres high, solidly crafted from oak with outstanding carving. A significant one-off piece and a true masterpiece of the German ‘Gründerzeit’ (Historicism era) in the Gothic-Revival style, bearing the maker’s engraved signature and the date 1883.

This cabinet, of exceptional quality, is a fine example of the heyday of gothic revival furniture design, when medieval forms were revived as part of a Europe-wide return to Gothic aesthetics.


A two-part oak cabinet with side panelling, comprising a base unit and a display top that can be dismantled for transport.

with its strictly vertical alignment, this architecturally structured, three-axis composition is reminiscent of the façades of historic Gothic churches. Four pilasters with tracery ornamentation and stylised leaf motifs merge at the top into the so-called ‘Dienste’ (or ‘Dienstbündel’, originally derived from Gothic clustered pillars; here, three three-quarter columns set in front) and frame the total of six doors and six drawers on the front. The sides of the cabinet are decorated with blind tracery. On the right, the cabinetmaker has immortalised himself with his signature and the year 1883 (see photos) within the frame of the upper section.

A base cabinet on a rectangular floor plan with a moulded plinth and three drawers, surmounted by three doors in a framed and panelled design beneath a slightly projecting top panel. Both the drawer fronts and the door panels are decorated with blind tracery and the trefoil and quatrefoil motifs, which are also repeated on the sides. On the plinth drawers, this motif is positioned centrally with a wooden knob in the middle of each; on the doors, there are three quatrefoils in each of the couronnements (the tracery-filled pointed arch panel above the transom of a tracery window).

The display cabinet also has 3 drawers and 3 doors. Here, the drawer fronts are intricately carved with reliefs of leaves and tendrils, some of which are intertwined. Above these are three tall glazed doors, the frames of which are encircled by semi-relief carved tendril mouldings featuring twisted, stylised oak foliage and ‘weather strips’. The tall rectangular panes are divided into four vertical lancet-shaped sections by imitation tracery, resembling glazing bars. The glass panes in the three doors of the upper section are not actually permanently fixed in place; instead, they can be removed from the inside of the doors using several rotating brass bolts (sliding bolts), each with its own wooden frame.

Small corbels project from the capitals of the ‘bundle pillars’ (pilasters), forming the transition to the richly carved cornice zone that forms the upper edge of the piece of furniture. Above and below three flat segmental arches spanning the space between the pinnacle towers, there is a richly openwork carving featuring predominantly plant motifs, consisting of tendrils and branches, some of which are intertwined, as well as stylised flowers and leaves. This imposing crowning element may well reveal, alongside the inspiration drawn from Gothic church façades and Gothic wall structures, the influence of choir screens and rood screen architecture in the design of this piece of furniture.

Inside, the cabinet is fitted with a total of 6 shelves behind the doors of the base unit and 12 height-adjustable shelves in the display cabinet top section. The back panel is made in traditional frame-and-panelling construction.

A closer look: Virtually all visible ‘architectural elements’ were richly ornamented. Decorative details in the form of carvings of various designs can be found throughout. For example, alternating trefoil and quatrefoil motifs on the plinth drawers, fine engravings on the bases of the ‘servant’s bundles’ on the upper section, pronounced friezes and reliefs on the drawer fronts of the upper section, the engraved imitation shingles on the ‘weatherboards’ of the upper glass doors, the artfully openwork-carved plant-inspired ‘thicket’ on the cornice. In addition, each drawer body is solidly constructed using dovetail joints. This high density of varied details, some of which appear playful, testifies to the very highest level of craftsmanship and virtuosity.

Dimensions

Height: 298 cm / 117.32 in.

Width: 190 cm / 74.80 in.

Depth: 51 cm / 20.08 in.

Shelf depth: 25.5 cm and 34 cm / 10.04 in and 13.39 in.


In very good, authentic condition with slight signs of wear due to age and only a few minor imperfections.

The cabinet can be transported in several parts (lower section and upper section, which can be dismantled using wooden wedge joints).