Four armchairs, burr birch, Russian/Baltic Biedermeier, circa 1835/40
Four armchairs, burr birch, Russian/Baltic Biedermeier, circa 1835/40
Set of four identical armchairs in burr birch (Karelian birch), circa 1835/40. The backrests are designed as wide, shouldered board backs and are tilted backward; the legs splay out backward as saber legs. This silhouette harks back to the ancient Klismos form, which was revived during Classicism and Biedermeier.
The armrests are strongly curved and end at the front in a striking volute in a snail shape and fine marquetry work in palisander, which are considered hallmarks of high-quality Russian furniture from this period. The seat narrows towards the back, from a clear width of 53 cm (outer dimension 60 cm) at the front to 38 cm inner dimension (outer dimension 44 cm) at the back.
Each backrest features a dark inlay: a symmetrical palmette and delicate floral elements. Delicate dark wood inlays on a light background are the characteristic decorative principle of Russian Biedermeier, which is noticeably richer here than the restrained German Biedermeier of the same period.
The veneer shows the densely speckled, almost eye-like grain of Karelian birch, a honey-colored wood that was considered a hallmark of high-quality furniture in Russia and the Baltic states.
Upholstery and cover
The seats are newly upholstered and covered with a furnishing fabric from Höpke: Baronesse collection, Valetto 754 fabric type. The fabric is light- and color-fast to a high degree, chlorine- and saltwater-resistant, and flame retardant. The upholstery was constructed so that the outer fabric can be changed at any time by an upholsterer without altering the upholstery structure.
About the style
Russian Biedermeier combines the homely design language of German-Austrian Biedermeier with the light, curved elegance of the French Charles X style. The tsarist court and the high nobility were oriented towards French aesthetics; French cabinetmakers worked in St. Petersburg, designs circulated between Paris and Russia. Unlike in Germany, where Biedermeier was a bourgeois culture of retreat, in Russia it remained a style of the aristocracy, and the woods, form, and decoration are accordingly more elaborate.
Dimensions and execution
- Seat height: 51 cm
- Backrest height: 87 cm
- Armrest height: 68.5 cm
- Seat width front: 60 cm (outer) / 53 cm (between armrests)
- Seat width rear: 44 cm (outer) / 38 cm (inner)
- Seat depth: 51 cm
- Material: Burr birch (Karelian birch), veneered
- Decoration: dark inlay on the backrests
- Form: Klismos/saber-leg chair form, curved armrests with volute, saber legs
- Quantity: four armchairs
- Upholstery: newly upholstered, striped floral damask
- Origin: Russian/Baltic
- Period: 1835
- Condition: professionally restored, completely new upholstery, new shellac
H: 87 cm / B: 60 cm / T: 51 cm / Zusatzmaß:
H:(Höhe) / B:(Breite) / T:(Tiefe)
Material: / Farbe: