Jørgen Berg
Brazilian rosewood cabinet on black painted “Chinese” frame with brass “shoes”. Front with 19 drawers in various sizes. Edges and each drawer with profiles. Keyholes of brass. One drawer with secret compartment. This example made 1955–1960s by cabinetmaker William Christensen for retailer Illums Bolighus. H. 141 cm. W. 90 cm. D. 39,5 cm.
Provenance: Private Danish collection.
Literature: Illums Bolighus catalogue, approx. 1960, p. 99.
The Copenhagen high-end department store Illums Bolighus had its own production of furniture, and various architects designed models for Illums Bolighus through the years. The furniture pieces were generally of a higher quality than the factory made pieces, however, they were of lower quality than the best handcrafted Danish design. Despite his (still) somewhat unknown persona, Jørgen Berg designed this cabinet for Illums Bolighus which exceptionally was only made by special order and not by Illums Bolighus' workshop but by cabinetmaker William Christensen. This piece is hence of a high craftsmanship quality. Jørgen Berg is known for this fine cabinet but apparently had an affection for luxurious cabinets, as the only other referenced piece by him is a delicate wall-mounted bar cabinet with a tambour roll-down front and fold-down leaf, made by cabinetmaker A.J. Iversen in the 1940s.
Condition report on request.
Items that are made of Brazilian rosewood or contain parts of it, require a CITES export permit in order to be exported from Denmark to a country outside The European Union. Buyers residing outside the European Union are required to obtain this permit.
Design: Nordic Masters, 27 September 2017