Stool for the Postsparkasse, Vienna, Model no. 4746, c. 1906

Completed in 1906, the Österreichische Postsparkasse (Austrian Postal Savings Bank) building in downtown Vienna is a main work of Otto Wagner and a milestone of modernist European architecture. The façade with metal bolts to hold the marble cladding panels was one of its impressive innovations, as was the interior design also designed by Wagner with the sole purpose of perfectly meeting the needs of staff and customers. The emphasis was on facilitating daylighting and the use of easy-care materials. For each of the three main operational areas—internal operations, customer contact, management—as well as their respective departments, Wagner designed purpose-built furniture types. In the main counter hall, these cubic stools, each made of five bentwood rods and a cut- perforated seat, were put up next to the form-completion tables.

IR, 2021