Rack - Art Nouveau wall shelf with brass lion heads • handcrafted with heart-shaped fretwork • ca. - Wood

This rack weighs 220 grams: each leaf and each heart has been cut from thin sheet with a fret saw. Domestic work from the Art Nouveau era, cut from a printed pattern sheet. Three cast brass lion heads bear the hooks; the intricate openwork runs mirrored around a palmette. By the door it holds keys and hat, and the broken edge is defined on the wall.

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Description:
A rectangular back panel with broken openwork, crowned by a palmette between volutes. In front of it a small shelf on two broken side supports and a low front rail with the three hooks. Under the rack a broken edge hangs like a fringe. The openwork consists of volutes, leaf tips, and heart-shaped openings. The thin sheet is chocolate-brown stained; the lighter cut edges show how delicately the bridges were kept. The side supports and shelf extend through the back panel with pins and are glued, the common construction of fretwork. The lion heads are cast brass, each with two copper pins affixed, with a dark patina in the manes.

About the maker:
Fretwork was the premier domestic craft around 1900. Handbooks from Munich and Leipzig described it as a hobbyists’ art; firms in Vienna and England supplied the saw, thin sheet, and pattern sheets. This rack comes from such a home workshop, made for one’s own house or as a gift.

In the interior:
On a white wall in the hallway, the openwork catches the side light and draws its own shadow.

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Condition:
Good, used. Openwork: complete, with no breaks or missing parts observed. Shelf and front rail: light wear and patina appropriate to age. Hooks: all three present and secure, with dark patina in the relief. The light saw marks are original to production, not damage. See the pictures.

At a glance:
Material: wood, stained thin sheet in fretwork; brass hooks
Dimensions and weight: h 20 x w 33 x d 9 cm, 220 g
Brand: none; domestic craft, see Description and sources
Dating: ca. 1890–1915
Provenance: from a private Art Nouveau collection

Description and sources:
Domestic craft from the West European fretwork tradition around 1900, after a printed pattern sheet. The dating rests on the flourishing of that tradition, described in handbooks from 1887 and 1890 and by the English firm Hobbies from 1895, and on the cast brass fittings of those years.

Shipping:
Professionally packed in a sturdy box with cushioning, for fragile items a double box. Always insured shipping with Track and Trace. Over 1,100 reviews from previous buyers; see the feedback.