Mathias Ortmann (b. 1692, d. Copenhagen 1757)
A Danish Rococo walnut commode with partially gilded wood and gesso, curved sides and front with three drawers, cabriole legs, late gild lead mountings, gilt bronze handles and key plates, later curved profiled top of white Carrara marble. Copenhagen, mid-18th century. H. 86 cm. W. 104 cm. D. 54 cm.
Engraved label, preserved on the top under the marble top:
“Hos Sr. M. Ortmann boende udi Gotters Gaden bliver alle Sorter Cabinet og Snedker Arbeide forfærdiget for en Civil Pris i Kiöbenhavn”.
(“At Sr. M. Ortmann's residence in Gotters Gaden, all types of Cabinet and Carpentry work are completed for a Civil Price in Copenhagen”).
Provenance: A Danish manor house.
Mathias Ortmann was a pioneer within Rococo furniture in Denmark, and his furniture is of such exquisite quality that it represents the finest within Northern European Rococo furniture. He was born into the trade and became an apprentice at his father’s rapidly expanding workshop in Nyhavn, which was a supplier of furniture to places such as Charlottenborg Palace, the residence of King Frederik IV’s brother, Prince Carl. Mathias Ortmann completed his apprenticeship in 1725, and in 1727 he became a licensed cabinetmaker. On his journeys through Europe, Ortmann discovered the benefit of signing the pieces he crafted, which many contemporary cabinetmakers refrained from doing. Having added his signature to most of the pieces he crafted, Ortmann’s name eventually gained a great degree of fame. His works are still in high demand and are today rare collector’s pieces.