Neo-Gothic furniture acquired by Strasbourg

28/3/24 - Strasbourg, Musée des arts décoratifs - A fine collection of neo-Gothic furniture (ill. 1 to 3) recently joined the collections of the Musée des arts décoratifs in Strasbourg. Commissioned in the mid-1860s for a Strasbourg doctor’s surgery, that of Dr Jean Chrétien Heiser, a pioneer of health sports in Strasbourg, it had remained with his descendants until its purchase by the museum in 2023. Comprising seven pieces - a credenza, a flat desk, a bookcase, a parquet clock and three chairs - it is the work of Maximilien-Henri Hiolle, a Parisian sculptor and cabinetmaker of Valenciennes origin who is largely unknown today. We wrote about him a short while ago in our article on the large piece of neo-Renaissance furniture pre-empted by Roubaix (see article of 28/1/24). Mentioned on the façade alongside M. Ginsbach, A. Rodin and C. Olinger, "M. Hiolle" executed the sculpted decoration designed by Auguste Rodin. In perfect condition, the newly-acquired neo-Gothic furniture was added to the museum’s permanent collection last September, displayed on the mezzanine floor in place of a group of earthenware pieces by Joseph Hannong which, as Louis-Napoléon Panel, curator in charge of the collections at the Musée des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg since September 2021, explained, had been moved to the other earthenware rooms [1].

1. Maximilien-Henri Hiolle (1843-1938)
View of the neo-Gothic furniture
from the office of Dr Jean Chrétien Heiser
presented in the new period-room
Strasbourg, Musée des arts décoratifs
Photo : AL

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2. Maximilien-Henri Hiolle (1843-1938)
View of the neo-Gothic furniture on display
in the new period-room
Detail of the desk - 80 x 135.5 x 75 cm,
the bookcase - 272 x 187 x 48 cm, the floor clock - 272 x 58 x 34 cm,
and one of the three armchairs -
151.5 x 67.5 x 50 cm
Strasbourg, Musée des arts décoratifs
Photo: Strasbourg, Musée des arts décoratifs

See the image in its…