The pair of doors is decorated with standing female figures holding flowers in their hands; the side features floral decoration. Signed Valentin Kielland 1902. Height 229 cm, depth 34 cm, width 99 cm.
The pair of doors is decorated with standing female figures holding flowers in their hands; the side features floral decoration. Signed Valentin Kielland 1902. Height 229 cm, depth 34 cm, width 99 cm.
HISTORY
Valentin Kielland (1866–1944) is one of Norway’s most distinctive furniture makers within the Art Nouveau style. With an artistic background in sculpture, Kielland created symbolic furniture sculptures in painted solid wood, characterized by a distinctly organic, bold, and unique design.
The painted cabinet from 1902 in this auction is one of Kielland’s masterpieces, where craftsmanship and nature emerge in a characteristic way in the composition. Traces of carving help create a decorative pattern across the surfaces. The women from two stages of life adorning the cabinet doors symbolize the cycle of life, as does the floral decoration on the short left side. The prominent organic lines, combined with the extensive use of asymmetry, define the main form of the piece and give the impression of a living fragment of nature.
Similar cabinets can be found in the collections of the National Museum in Oslo and the Jugend Museum in Ålesund, Norway.
