Coffee Table "Elephant trunk table" Adolf Loos F.O. Schmidt Wien ca. 1910

Coffee table “Elefantenrüsseltisch” (elefant trunk table), design Adolf Loos, execution F.O. Schmidt Wien, ca. 1910, 6 legs

The famous Viennese architect and designer Adolf Loos was one of the pioneers of modern architecture. In particular, his hollistically designed residential projects, in which he drew up both the building and the interior furnishings, receive special art historical attention today.

Loos first used this design, called the “elephant trunk table”, in 1902 in the apartment of Dr. Hugo Haberfeld. This design, which is one of the most iconic pieces of furniture created by Loos, has its origins in the British Arts and Crafts movement. The latter saw round tables with more then four legs in use as furnishings even before the turn of the century. The elegant curves and the combination of precious woods and warm brass meet the Viennese taste very specifically. Loos also used this model in other apartments, among others at those of Friedmann, Weiss and Rosenfeld.

Our example is a first-class Viennese cabinetmaker’s work. The woods perfectly match the polished brass parts and the central ceramic tiles top fits very harmoniously into the ensemble. This model was also made with six feet and with a smaller diameter. The quality of our piece of furniture is stunning and the condition is of museum quality.

Bib.: depicted in Siegfried Wichmann, "Jugendstil Floral Funktional", Bayrisches Nationalmuseum München 1984, p.168.