Collector's Cabinet
By Siyuan 'Roy' Cai
Today, cabinet making is still much in demand, though with modern technology it is less difficult and less time consuming to make a fine cabinet. As household furniture, the cabinet is fairly affordable and available at a variety of different price points. The cabinet is no longer a luxury for the upper classes and the many modern designs for cabinets have become simple and plain. The designers of this modern kitchen cabinet are obviously more focused on its function rather than its aesthetic qualities.
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Dresser (Dressoir aux harpies)
Adam Eck (1604-1664)
Adam Eck was one the most famous carpenters in seventeenth-century Bohemia. He was well-known for his complicated decorative techniques, and he also created the wonderful reliefs of Kabinettschränkchens. His techniques may have influenced the Bohemian cabinet at LACMA. He was born into a wood-carving and carpenter family in 1604. His grandfather Peter (born 1531) ran the family business and he originally came from Nuremberg. The Ecks were one of the 143 Protestant families in Nuremberg at that time. Being unwilling to convert to the Catholic faith, the Ecks left their home at Nuremberg and moved to Eger in 1629 (“Adam Eck”). In the 1630s , Adam Eck devised a new decorative technique used in furniture making. He combined classical marquetry and the applied the sized Reliefschnitzes, which he made from different color plates (“Fates and faces of Cheb: Adam Eck”). Shortly after this attractive decoration technique was applied in furniture manufacturing, Adam Eck and his workshop began to receive a lot of orders from the Czech, German, and Swedish nobility. The technology of relief decoration was closely guarded as a secret. Therefore, the production of such details on furniture could only be found in Eger at that time. Adam Eck signed his works, often as either Eck or Egra. Art-loving princes and other nobles often patronized his workshop in Eger. Even the Emperor of the Hapsburg Empire were among his customers and patrons (Royt, et al."Czech Republic) Adam Eck worked for many famous people, and his masterpieces at that time can be found throughout Europe. (“Adam Eck *5.9.1604 - †1664”) Although Adam Eck charged steep prices for his work, he passed away in Eger with heavy debts in 1664 (“Adam Eck”). Today, in many European and world museums, people can still see his handiwork. His unique decorative techniques have profoundly influenced many contemporary artisans.
Works Cited
Royt, Jan et al. "Czech Republic." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed Nov 11, 2015. <http://www.oxfordartonline.com.mmpv-ezproxy-01.marymountcalifornia.edu/subscriber/article/grove/art/T020982pg5>.
“Adam Eck.”RELIEFINTARSIEN AUS EGER. Web. Accessed Nov 26, 2015. <http://www.reliefintarsien.de/03kuenstler/eck/eck.html>.
“Adam Eck *5.9.1604 - †1664.” Enzyyklopadie der Stadt Cheb. Web. Accessed Nov 26, 2015.<http://encyklopedie.cheb.cz/de/osudy-a-tvare-chebu/adam-eck-13322>.
Koeppe, Wolfram. “Dresser (Dressoir aux harpies).” The Robert Lehman Collection. Decorative Arts, Vol. XV. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in association with Princeton University Press. Web. Accessed Nov 26, 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/460640>.
“Adam Eck.”RELIEFINTARSIEN AUS EGER. Web. Accessed Nov 26, 2015. <http://www.reliefintarsien.de/03kuenstler/eck/eck.html>.
“Adam Eck *5.9.1604 - †1664.” Enzyyklopadie der Stadt Cheb. Web. Accessed Nov 26, 2015.<http://encyklopedie.cheb.cz/de/osudy-a-tvare-chebu/adam-eck-13322>.
Koeppe, Wolfram. “Dresser (Dressoir aux harpies).” The Robert Lehman Collection. Decorative Arts, Vol. XV. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in association with Princeton University Press. Web. Accessed Nov 26, 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/460640>.