Photo of collection object Dresser with Mirror
Belter, John Henry. Dresser with Mirror, ca. 1855. Laminated rosewood, marble, mirrored glass, 95 x 49 1/2 x 25 in. (241.3 x 125.7 x 63.5 cm) base height: 34 1/2 in. (87.6 cm). Gift of Mrs. Ernest Vietor, 39.31a-c. Creative Commons-BY.

Dresser with Mirror

ca. 1855

John Henry Belter

American, born Germany, 1804-1863

Decorative Arts

These two dressers were produced in New York about a generation apart for style-conscious, upper-middle-class consumers. The Belter dresser, with its undulating contours and profusion of naturalistic decoration, is a masterpiece of the Rococo Revival style, while the later, ebonized dresser is in the more geometric Aesthetic Movement style. The Aesthetic Movement represented a conscious rejection of the perceived excesses of the overwrought revival style that preceded it. Its proponents urged design reforms based on Augustus Pugin’s principles (see the gaming table nearby), as well as new lessons learned from the art of Japan. Although both dressers were considered stylish when made, it is the simple rectilinear form and flattened, abstract decoration of the later piece that appear “modern” to us today.
Maker/Artist
Belter, John Henry
Classification
Furniture
Formatted Medium
Laminated rosewood, marble, mirrored glass
Dimensions
95 x 49 1/2 x 25 in. (241.3 x 125.7 x 63.5 cm) base height: 34 1/2 in. (87.6 cm)
Departments
Decorative Arts
Accession Number
39.31a-c
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Ernest Vietor
Rights Statement
Creative Commons-BY
Dominant Colors

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