fbpx

Desk set Karl Hagenauer ca. 1925

SKU 1049 Tags ,

Desk set with figural ornaments, Karl Hagenauer, Werkstatte Hagenauer Vienna, ca. 1925, cast brass, marked

  • Height: 9cm, Width: 35cm, Depth: 18.5cm
  • 1924 to 1928
    Technique: Brass, cast and polished
    Provenance: Private collection, London
    stamped with ‘Hagenauer Wien’, ‘Hagenauer Wien Vienna’, and paperknife and seal just stamped ‘Vienna’. Bib.: comp. copy of Werkstätte Hagenauer’s sample book, mod.no. 1038; comp. contemporary photograph in the Hagenauer Archive at Museum of Applied Arts Vienna, inv. no. HAF 614, HAF 615, HAF 731
    Sold

    Out of stock

    SKU 1049 Tags ,
    Description

    In addition to the variety of decorative objects designed by the Hagenauer brothers, there are also plenty of everyday objects that have been refined with their unique style. An outstanding example of this is this five-piece desk set with floral and figural ornaments. Around 1923, Karl Hagenauer designed various objects for the Wiener Werkstätte, which were strongly influenced by his teacher Josef Hoffmann and also by Dagobert Peche. When he joined his father’s business, he used these influences and designed objects in ivory in his own style. Our writing set is an exciting hybrid between his ivory and brass works. The ornament of the rider in the dense forest, which is applied to the inkwells, actually comes from an ivory box and was executed in brass for this work. The feet are also decorated with foliage influenced by Dagobert Peche. The influence of the Wiener Werkstätte can also be seen in the workmanship of the writing set, which is of the highest quality.

    Artist

    Karl Hagenauer (1898 – 1956) was an Austrian metal artist and designer who, together with his brother Franz, ran the Werkstatte Hagenauer Wien. Together they wrote Austrian design history with their utility and decorative objects made of metal and wood. In the metalworking business of his father Carl (1872-1928), Karl Hagenauer had the opportunity to learn the artisan side of the girdler's trade at an early age. He received his training at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts under Franz Cizek, Oskar Strnad and Josef Hoffmann. Interrupted by his military service in World War I, he finished his studies in 1920. Following Josef Hoffmann's initiative, he then provided designs for the Wiener Werkstatte. Especially in this early phase, the influence of his teachers, in particular the ornamental and playful form language of Dagobert Peche is clearly distinguishable. Soon a stylistic change became apparent in Karl Hagenauer's work: pure ornamentation was pushed into the background, reduced forms became more dominant. Especially in the figural segment, he now developed his own distinctive style with altered proportions and elongated limbs. He also gave preference to less noble metals such as brass, alpaca and copper over the materials he had previously used, such as silver and ivory. What did not change, however, was the high quality of the objects' craftsmanship. Fine examples of this are his designs for lamp stands in the form of highly stylized female nudes or the well-known dancer figurine of Josephine Baker from the late 1920s*. The Hagenauer workshop also successfully marketed exotic African dancer statuettes as well as whimsical animal figures made of wood. Due to the economic conditions of the interwar period and the Second World War, the Hagenauer workshop at times produced mainly simple but nevertheless high-quality utilitarian or decorative objects made of metal or wood. The authorship of many of these designs can no longer be attributed to either Karl or Franz Hagenauer specifically. Karl Hagenauer died in 1956 and subsequently Franz Hagenauer continued to run the workshop until the 1980s. * cf. Olga Kronsteiner, Monika Wenzl-Bachmeier (ed.), Hagenauer – Viennese Modernism and New Realism, exhibition catalogue Wagner:Werk Postsparkasse, Vienna 2011, p. 38 and p. 67

    Execution

    Werkstätte Hagenauer – stylistic evolution and importance

    Today, the Werkstatte Hagenauer is rightfully among the most important Austrian Arts & Crafts manufacturers of the 20th century. The clear, strict formal language combined with dynamic poses and the usage of brass, nickel-plated, patinated or bare, along with copper, alpaca and exotic wood shows a high level of recognition.

    However, it took the siblings Karl and Franz Hagenauer quite some time until they developed their own unique style. Karl and Franz both attended the Vienna School of Arts & Crafts and studied under Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Strnad, Anton Hanak and Dagobert Peche.

    Until the closure of the Werkstatte Hagenauer on December 30, 1987, art objects of outstanding quality were still being produced. The siblings Karl and Franz Hagenauer strongly contributed in coining the term „design“ through their legacy and are surely among the most influential Austrian artists of the 20th century.

    Inquiry

    By submitting the inquiry form, you agree to the use of your data for this inquiry. Privacy Policy

    Desk set Karl Hagenauer Werkstatte Hagenauer Vienna ca. 1925 brass marked
    Desk set Karl Hagenauer ca. 1925

    Thank you for your inquiry!

    We will process your request as quickly as possible.

    Current time in Vienna:
    Monday, 03:42
    Office hours

    Monday to Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

    Visit our exhibitions too

    Social Media

    Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter

    Social Media

    Always up to date with our art trade newsletter

    Our next exhibitions

    Social Media