A Pair of Skønvirke Cabinets
Martin Nyrop
Denmark, 1905

Description:

A pair of free-standing cabinets or bookshelves designed by architect Martin Nyrop and made by Rudolph Rasmussen before 1905.
The cupboards until recently were part of Copenhagen City Hall, the Danish Art Nouveau* National Romantic style building they were designed and built for. Nyrop was responsible for the design of the City Hall's totality: shell, accessories, furnishings. Construction on the building began in 1892 and concluded in 1905, therefore the cabinets were designed, built and installed before 1905. This makes the cupboards one of the first major collaborations for cabinetmaker Rudolph Rasmussen.
In keeping with a main tenet of the Arts and Craft movement which inspired *Skønvirke (Danish Art Nouveau), the cabinets not only reveal their construction but make a feature of the methods used to make them. This can be seen on the sides of the cupboards where the central fixed internal shelf punctuates through the side panel to create maximum strength.
Similarly, the materials used have been worked in order to allow them to speak clearly of their properties, the solid pine has been crown cut to display the irregular elliptic grain shapes of the wood. The tops of these cabinets have an interesting crenellation detail, aiding in their beauty. 

Both cabinets are structurally sound and absolutely usable and practical pieces. The colour of the pine used throughout is spectacularly rich and warm. The original Copenhagen municipal serial number is still present on one of these cabinets.

In great condition, all wear commensurate with age.

Specifications:

Width: 93 cm
Height: 209 cm
Depth: 46.5 cm