Can I get some info and opinions on this armoire please?

My wife and I purchased this maybe 20 years ago or so. Can't remember, it's been a while. Bought it from an antique dealer in Houston.

I think it might be time to move it to it's next owner, but I really have no idea how to value it.

48 inches wide. 21 inches deep. 81 inches tall at the top of the arch. I have more pictures if it helps. See label from the back of it...

 

More pictures

 

To my eye:

Johannes Kaufmann
5B
Kohlstrasse, 81

Debora

 

Looks like Kohlgasse not strasse.

 

She looks so Art Nouveau.. is that a sheet of brass?

 

Just so people can see it better.

 

Do both sides have the same woman in the bottom panels? I first thought French,but maybe Belgium ? One side seems to be missing the mirror,wich would effect selling it as most folks dont want to deal with replacing it. Brown furniture is doing a smidge better,but nowhere near what it was 20 years ago. Im wondering if the art nouveau touches were added later,as they dont seem to jibe with the other hardware. Im just rambling here as Im no expert. Lovely piece nonetheless.

 

Koklgasse, it's in Vienna (Wien). The seller or the maker.

Looks like Austrian walnut ca. 1900. The back has been "prettified," perhaps replaced. Love the plaques. I would expect less than $1K at auction, at least in the U.S. Midwest.

 

Thanks for the feedback so far. Added a couple more pictures. Same woman on the right door, just a mirror image. And I don't think there was a mirror on the right door, because of the raised panel that is there. Really doubt that was added later?

But I know nothing!

 

So unusual with those lovely nouveau art panels! It never really took off here in the US. If it was mine I would consult with a conservator on how to properly restore the metal finish. They would really pop.

 

Not that it matters for the wardrobe, but pretty sure the address is Kohlgasse 81. This address exists in Vienna, as well as some German cities such as Ulm, Worms, and several others. Kohl is German for cabbage, and Gasse is similar to "lane" in English, i.e. a smaller street.

 

It only matters in that it (likely) traces the origin of the wardrobe to Germany or Austria.

Debora

 

it would be Vienna. V.B. means Fünfter Bezirk (fifth district).
for me it looks a made-up post-war item.
as johnny points out: the form of the doors would normally be those you find on an armoire Normande.
the pressed balls feet you find on Bodenseeschrank (Lake Constance armoires, both sides, Southern Germany and Northern Switzerland).
the copper plates with the prominent ear-hangers are in the style of Mucha's Byzantine heads.

 

Really nice armoire, Fritz, and I love the panels. A bit of elbow grease could bring them out a bit more. Don't overpolish, a bit of shading looks good imo.

Even without seeing the label I would have thought German or Austrian. Not Belgian, too heavy. Belgian Art Nouveau has more of a lightness and elegance about it.

Slightly different. Look at that lock of hair above her forehead, for instance. The fact that they are not exact mirror images is very Art Nouveau.

 

Mucha heads.

Debora

 

It looks pretty much "right" to me. If a marriage of sorts, it is a good one. Even it a little heavy, it's the quintessential early Jugendstil that is closer to Nancy than Darmstadt. The panels alone should be worth good money, and would probably be worth your while to shop it around Austin.

 

Darmstadt's Mathildenhöhe wasn't the only place in Germany where Jugendstil designs were made.
There were many different 'schools'. The main branches of Jugendstil were the more austere linear style, and the more flowing French style, but there were many variations.
The Austrians added the Vienna Secession and Wiener Werkstätte to the mix.

 

Dang, thank you everyone for your expert opinions! I knew that this was the right place. Love it!

 

And that room of an art lover at the Paris Exhibition by Richard Reimerschmid, man, that must have been something to behold.