KOLLER VIEW 2/23

18 Privately collected: fromBaroque to Design Preview of the auction on 23 June 2023 The majority of the objects in our auction ‘From Ba- roque to Design’ come from two important private collections: one from Vienna, specialising in furniture design highlights of this era are the furniture creations of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, such as this dressing ta- ble from circa 1930 (ill. 2). The boundaries between fine art, technology and product design shifted during this period in favour of ‘total works of art’ or vanished altogether, as in Jean Dunand’s panels from 1925/30. The auction also offers works from various owners, including an armchair by architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright, which he created in 1955 for his son Da- vid’s house in Arizona (ill. 3) of noble origin, paintings, and Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects from the first half of the 20 th century, and the other a German private collection that fea- tures courtly treasures with renowned provenances, and which bridges the gap to the present day with modern design. This selection of European furniture, decorative arts and modern furnishings enables a dia- logue across four centuries. . The sale features collectors’ pieces from the Baroque and Rococo eras characterised by their extravagance, fine materials and technical finesse. Among these are furniture and decorative art fromthe former collection of the Grand Dukes and Margraves of Baden, includ- ing early Meissen porcelain, beautiful ivory carvings, faceted glass and a Prussian Rococo chest of draw- ers from the workshop of the Spindler brothers (ill. 7). Before the 19 th century, the aristocracy set the tone in aesthetic matters. This changed with the indus- trial revolution and a burgeoning middle class. Art Nouveau and Art Deco are currents that represent a ‘changement de goût’, a change of taste. Among the 1 2 3 4 © 2023, ProLitteris, Zurich