Antique painted pine wardrobe – Austro-Hungarian Empire, Year 1835

This antique painted pine wardrobe is a Central European peasant wardrobe with one door, featuring polychrome floral decoration and the date 1835 painted on the front. It originates from Central Europe, from the Biedermeier period of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where mountain pine was painted in distemper on a marbled background. In the alpine farmhouse, the one-door wardrobe was the most valuable piece of furniture in the room: it held the festive costume and bed linen, and was often painted for a wedding. The date on the front does not date the wood but the event that prompted the order. The case is made of solid pine, with a back of vertical boards. A single two-panel door is secured with an iron lock and its original key. The unpainted interior retains the hanging rail and a high shelf. The cornice overhangs on a cove, and the piece rests on four conical feet. The background is a dark bluish-green marbled with a sponge, on which the repertoire of alpine Bauernmalerei unfolds. The two panels feature vases with bouquets of tulips and fanciful flowers in red, white, and pink. The central crossbar displays a garland of fruits — apples, grapes, strawberries — emblematic of abundance. Details. Dimensions: Length 108 cm – Depth 48 cm – Height 180 cm. Style: Central European folk art. Materials and techniques: Pine wood; iron lock with key; mortise and tenon joinery; distemper painting on a marbled background. Place of origin: Central Europe – Austro-Hungarian Empire. Period: Popular Biedermeier. Date of manufacture: 1835. Condition / Observations: Good. Original paint dated 1835, losses on the edge of the cornice and on the corners. Wear consistent with age and use.