Skønvirke Cabinets Martin Nyrop

Description

A pair of free-standing cabinets designed by architect Martin Nyrop and made by Rudolph Rasmussen circa 1900.
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 one 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 and hammering has been left evident on the Ironmongery.
Both cabinets are structurally sound and absolutely usable and practical pieces containing adjustable/removable shelves /divides. The colour of the pine used throughout is spectacularly rich and warm. Each cabinet bares the original Rud. Rasmussen label complete with hand written serial number. In great condition, all wear commensurate with age.

Specification

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