Round Table, 1903

What characterizes this round table, aside from a mix of materials ranging from solid and veneered elmwood to cane and brass, is simple geometric shapes. They are typical of the specific Viennese articulation of international Jugendstil. The design of this piece of small furniture comes from Wilhelm Schmidt (1880–after 1928) or Hans Vollmer (1878–1969), who both studied under Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) at the Vienna Arts and Crafts School and independently further developed his central call for material-appropriate design and processing. Schmidt and Vollmer both worked as designers for the Prague-Rudnik Wickerwork Manufactory, which, similarly to the manufactories of Thonet Brothers or Jacob & Josef Kohn, employed as designers renowned artists of Viennese Modernism. Prague-Rudnik Wickerwork was considered one of the largest manufacturers of wickerwork products worldwide and, as exemplified by this design, was not shy to produce unusual combinations of different materials.

MR, 2021