Pair of Candelabra (Girandoles No. 3)

Each modelled as a semi-draped female figure holding aloft four scrolled branches and a central finial, standing with one foot on a round sphere pedestal with decoration of shells and dolphins.

The Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (MAK) is in the posession of a large part of drawings from the ‚Danhauser’schen k.k. privilegierte Möbelfabrik’ (Danhauser furniture factory) with more than 2.500 drawings and scetches from the sample catalogue. This catalogue included, among other items, 153 models of chairs, 56 daybeds, 179 types of chandeliers, and 124 window draperies. All of these models were numbered consecutively within the respective product groups The field of lighting is devided into twelve groups. The drawing for this candelabra is referred to by Danhauser as ‘Girandole No. 3’ and ‘5 lights’ .

The Danhauser furniture factory had been founded in 1814 by the sculptor Joseph Ulrich Danhauser (1780-1829). It was one of Vienna’s very first companies active in the field of interior decoration. Having been granted a special manufacturing licence, it was possible for Danhauser to integrate all crafts relating to interior decoration and execute the necessary works under a single roof. These included first and foremost furniture making and upholstery, the production of interior light fittings, metalwork, elaborate draperies for curtains and bedsteads and their mounts, as well as small sculpted accessories.

The factory’s clientele came from all over the Austrian monarchy and Germany, and the company disposed of sales agencies in Graz and Budapest. Danhauser’s most prestigious and comprehensive commission was the refurbishment of Archduke Charles’s palace (today’s Albertina) around 1822.
The Danhauser furniture factory holds a prominent position in the history of Viennese furniture making and interior decoration. Danhauser’s designs allow one to follow the development of the Viennese furniture style, which initially relied on French models, such as those created by Percier and Fontaine, but soon gained autonomy. Danhauser’s exceptional quality and uniqueness as a furniture maker lies in the harmonious combination of concreteness and abstraction - of functionality and emotion. He thus took on the role of a mediator between individuality and anonymity and became one of the most important inspirations for the Modern movement.

Literature:

• Witt-Dörring, Christian, Beleuchtungskörper aus der k.k.priv. Landes Fabrik des Josef Danhauser in Wien, In: Alte und moderne Kunst, 26.1981, 178/179, 50-51.
• Möhwald, Julian Elias, Interieurzeichnungen der Danhauser’schen Möbelfabrik, Diplomarbeit, Universität Wien, Dezember 2009.