Clothes Press (Kleiderschrank)

Gallery 103, American Art, first floor (Miller/Worley Gallery)

Main Building

Clothes Press (Kleiderschrank)

1779

Formerly attributed to Peter Holl III (American, died 1825) Formerly attributed to Christian Huber (American, 1758–1820)

Pennsylvania-made Kleiderschranken (clothes presses) functioned, as did the earlier models in northern Europe, to hold hanging clothes and store cherished textiles. This schrank is notable for its extraordinary decoration—bold architectural paneling, carving, and lettering that records the name of its owner, Georg Huber of Manheim, Pennsylvania, and the date it was made, 1779, only a year before he married Barbara Oberholtzer. Rather than a lightwood inlay, the lettering and floral designs were made by pouring molten sulfur into channels carved in the walnut.

Swiss and German designs inspired the decorative motifs, many of which are commonly found on other Pennsylvania German furniture as well as ceramics and fraktur, and helped to connect the owners and makers to their cultural roots. The wardrobe’s monumental size, bold composition, and profuse ornament demonstrate not only Huber’s aesthetic taste and wealth but also the skills and sensibilities of the Germanic artisans who made it.

Gallery 103, American Art, first floor (Miller/Worley Gallery)

Object Details

Titles:

Clothes Press (Kleiderschrank)

Date:

1779

Artists:

Formerly attributed to Peter Holl III (American, died 1825) Formerly attributed to Christian Huber (American, 1758–1820)

Medium:

Walnut, yellow pine, oak, sulfur inlay; iron, replacement brass

Dimensions:

6 feet 10 1/4 inches × 6 feet 6 inches × 27 1/2 inches (208.9 × 198.1 × 69.9 cm)

Classification:

Furniture/Furnishings

Credit Line:

Purchased with Museum funds, 1957

Accession Number:

1957-30-1

Geography:

Made in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America or made in Warwick, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America

Context:

Period: Colonial

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Gallery 103, American Art, first floor (Miller/Worley Gallery)

Main Building

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