Pair of showcases attributed to Bruno Paul ca. 1905

Pair of showcases, attr. Bruno Paul, Vereinigte Werkstatten fur Kunst im Handwerk Munchen, ca. 1905

Bruno Paul attended the Art Academy in Dresden from 1892 to 1894 on the initiative of his father. In 1897, Bruno Paul founded the Vereinigte Werkstätten für Kunst im Handwerk Munich together with Richard Riemerschmid and other colleagues. During this time, he worked in parallel as a caricaturist for the "Simplicissimus" magazine and designed furniture as well as entire room interiors. In 1907, he co-founded the “Deutscher Werkbund” and in 1910 he was appointed to the management of the German section of the World Exhibition in Brussels.

From 1924 on, he was the director of what is now the University of Arts in Berlin. His work and creativity influenced other famous architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, George Grosz and Adolf Meyer. He was considered the house architect of Norddeutscher Lloyd and was honored with a Grand Prix at the 1904 World Exhibition in St. Louis. Some of his buildings are now listed monuments.

The unusual shape of the two showcases immediately catches the eye. Bruno Paul used the shape of the diamond in several projects. This geometric figure is at the heart of many of his ornaments, especially when it comes to his furniture designs. At the German Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Dresden in 1906, Paul presented a dining room in where the diamond ornament was ubiquitous. The distinctive base of the showcases can be found again in 1904 at the exhibition of the Deutscher Künstlerbund in Munich. Two small pillar shelf units with bronzes by Franz von Stuck feature the same design in the upper section. At the same exhibition, the base of a cabinet bears the same square elements, as well as a pearl border at the top, similar to the one on our pair of vases. The woods used, maple and walnut, also suggest an authorship by Bruno Paul.

The two vitrines were conceived as a display space for art objects. The shelves offer space for three art objects each and the showcases were designed so that they can stand freely in the room. Thus, both the front and the back of the showcases are presentable. Additionally, there is small compartment in the base. The execution was probably done by the Vereinigte Werkstätten in Munich.

The fittings in the front are made of silver with small coral applications. The main body of the vitrine, which rests on two massive walnut wood spheres, is particularly refined. As a whole, the two display cases form a successful composition by Bruno Paul from around 1905.