Have You Got a Little Bit of Mahogany?

Dave Richards

Member
Messages
2,927
Location
SE Minnesota
Maybe here's a project for you.


This is a design attributed to Josef Hoffmann, Vienna, c.1906. Hoffmann was one of the shakers and movers in the Austrian Art Nouveau movement.
 
Wow, making the diamond-shaped pieces on the sides would be a real challenge.

And this image is definitely one of those "Is it a photograph or a rendering?" examples. :thumb:
 
Wow, making the diamond-shaped pieces on the sides would be a real challenge.

Those are bentwood pieces. I looked closely at the photos of the original and don't see the seams where the ends are joined. I wonder about doing a laminated bent thing with staggered ends.

And this image is definitely one of those "Is it a photograph or a rendering?" examples. :thumb:

Thank you.
 
Larry, the ball shaped pieces are---get ready for it---ball shaped pieces. :D They're some sort of decorative element common in a number of Josef Hoffmann's pieces.

Actually it's still pretty easy to find challenging things to draw. I've been working on a laminate bent chair for a client that has been whooping me a bit. The problem is I have full sized drawings to work from but they are copies of originals that were drawn in pencil and the copy is slightly larger than 1:1 and it's off more in one direction than the other. I'll get it though.
 
Wow Dave. I like the piece. But you deserve an olympic medal for this one. You had me fooled thinking it was a photo of the original. Had it not been for Vaughn and the fact that in general you mostly post sketchup work i would not have put 2 and 2 together. :) its amazing what you can do with that cad package. Thanks for showing us.

sent from s4
 
OH - WOW - that is just......




uhhhhh



I guess as a woodworker, I am supposed to like that, but I just don't.

I bet that is a museum quality designed by a famous guy - but to me it looks like it would break if used.

I bet is fits right in the gilded age off to the side in a huge room as a decoration - not really intended to be used

Nice design though - yes I think the diamonds are unique. BENT?? I wounder.

It is imaginative.

It is artistic.

Sorry - but that is just me.
 
Thank you Rob. ;)

Leo, no one said you are supposed to like this piece because you're a woodworker. I only posted this because I thought it was an interesting piece from a furniture designer from an important period in history. There are a whole lot of other furniture styles out there besides the Stickley and Shaker-styles that so many woodworkers seem to be fixated on. It's not such a bad thing to at least look at them once in awhile.

This was not designed as a museum piece. In fact it was designed to be mass produced and to be affordable and used. The one I used as a reference for my drawing was used. It has survived more than 100 years. That was a huge part of the Art Nouveau and Secessionist movement. Art and nice furniture available to the common man. This little seat was originally made by the same company who made the common bentwood chairs like these:
850495_l.jpg


Yes, those diamonds are bent.
 
Last edited:
i think its great that you dig up these differnt stlyes dave, if you hadnt i wouldnt have seen them. but i have seen chairs like these so i quess i am almost museum age as well:)
 
I like to look at everything - but I talk about it too. Queen Anne is another one - and Chippendale. They get rave reviews. Lots of people like to try to duplicate that style. It's all very ornate and takes some significant skill to produce.

I do admire the skill to do the work - but I do not like the styles. I don't mean anything bad by saying that - it is just conversation.

I find it amazing that the diamonds are bent - those are really sharp bends - without breaking the wood - amazing.

I like the chairs you posted. I admire Windsor chairs and would like to try my hand at that some day.

I have walked through fine arts museums and make comments at how ugly some of the stuff is.

Maybe I shouldn't - make the comments that is - I just can't help it.

Must be the side of the tracks I was brought up on.

I didn't mean to offend.
 
Top