The book Bergische Möbel by H. H. Krielke offers a comprehensive cultural and art-historical study of furniture production in the Bergisches Land region. It centres on the development of typical regional furniture forms from the early 18th century to the 19th century. Krielke analyses the furniture not only formally and typologically, but also embeds it in its geographical, social and economic context.
In an introductory chapter, the Bergisches Land is presented as a furniture landscape: The cultural characteristics of the region, the relationship between peasant and bourgeois domestic culture and the interactions with neighbouring style areas - in particular the Rhineland, the Netherlands and France - are dealt with in detail.
Particular attention is paid to clarifying the term "Bergisch furniture", which is characterised by distinctive carved ornamentation (grape, sun, rosette, vine leaf and scale motifs), the use of solid oak and symbolically charged design elements of Germanic and Gallo-Roman origin. The study shows how these decorative forms developed from folk art traditions and at the same time became part of an independent bourgeois culture of representation.
The typological classification includes:
Chests as early, primarily peasant-influenced pieces of furniture,
Milk cabinets with striking decorative friezes and ornamentation,
bergisch grandfather clocks as an example of technical craftsmanship,
as well as glass cabinets, chairs and tables whose ornamentation testifies to a high degree of regional stylistic loyalty.
The detailed illustrated section documents numerous pieces of furniture with information on their origin and provenance. A bibliography and a list of the illustrated objects complete the volume, making it a valuable reference work for the study of regional furniture culture.
Title: Bergische Möbel
Author: H. H. Krielke
Publisher: Ute Kierdorf Publishing House, Remscheid
Year of publication: 1981
ISBN: 3-922055-09-5