Wilhelm Schmidt / Prag Rudnicker Vienna Secession / Arts & Crafts stool c. 1902

WILHELM SCHMIDT (b. 1880) Austria
PRAG-RUDNICKER KORBWAREN-FABRIKATION Austria

Vienna arts & crafts stool c. 1902

Oak, rattan

Illustrated: Das Interieure III “Wiener Kunst im Hause Exhibition”, Wien, 1902, p. 169; Prag-Rudnicker Korbwaren-Fabrikation Catalog, 1902/1903, No. 508. Korbmöbel, Eva B. Ottillinger (Salzburg: Residenz Verlag, 1990) p. 106, illus. no. 99, Moderne Vergangenheit Wien 1800-1900 (Vienna: Künstlerhaus, 1981) p. 271;

H: 19 1/2″ x W: 19″ x D: 17 5/8″

Price: $4,800

Wilhelm Schmidt was one of a number of avant-garde designers, along with M.H. Baillie Scott, Peter Behrens, and Henry van de Velde, who incorporated the traditional material of rattan, or wicker, into their furniture designs during the early part of the century. For this stool, the Viennese designer used rattan in the much same way that a furniture maker of his day would have used upholstery on seating furniture. It provides a supportive, yet yielding and therefore comfortable seat.