Gottlieb Bindesbøll: Danish Neo-Antique 'Pompeian' Chairs

Danish Design: An Important Pair of Neo-Antique 'Pompeian' Chairs, Attributed to Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll.

Copenhagen, circa 1840.

Why We Like Them

An important and unique chapter in the history of Danish design, these chairs perfectly capture the spirit of innovation that remains the essence of Danish aesthetic identity today.

Attribution

The distinctive form of these chairs closely follows a model by the architect Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll, created around 1838–1840 for the "neo-antique" salon he designed for the merchant Hans Puggaard. The salon was located in Puggaard's residence at Copenhagen’s prestigious Store Kongensgade, no. 62. The suite of furniture, designed to complement the interior decoration, included stools and chairs featuring the same "stacked-plate" leg pattern that Bindesbøll later employed for a library table at the Thorvaldsen Museum. Six chairs and four stools from the Puggaard suite are currently preserved in the Designmuseum Danmark.

This pattern, derived from Ancient Greek bronze couches of the "Delian" type, was primarily informed by a later Roman example discovered during the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the late 18th century (now held at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli). While several ancient examples exist, the specific shape, the sequence of the turned rings, and the position of the "fulcrum" between the seat rail and stretcher on the Herculaneum stool correspond directly to these chairs. From Bindesbøll’s letters and sketches, we know he stopped in Naples while traveling from Rome to Palermo in 1835, where he meticulously studied the artifacts of Pompeii and Herculaneum for his Thorvaldsen Museum proposal.

This motif remained influential well into the 20th century. Notable later examples include Emmanuel Pontremoli’s work for Théodore Reinach at Villa Kérylos, Beaulieu-sur-Mer (c. 1900–1905), and Niels Holger Rasmussen’s designs for the Danish Order of Freemasons' Hall in Copenhagen (1924–27).

Cultural and Artistic Context

Following the defeat of Napoleon, the mythical "Arcadia" once again became an idealized symbol of freedom. Europe’s intellectuals and artists turned their gaze toward Ancient Greece and Republican Rome for inspiration—a movement particularly felt in the Protestant North. In early 19th-century Denmark, this fascination with antiquity, pioneered by Nicolai Abildgaard in the 1790s, took a firm hold over the intellectual and artistic circles in which Bindesbøll was an active participant.

Art and design informed by classical antiquity were nothing short of a political statement. Beyond signaling an educated and well-traveled owner, such pieces symbolized a devotion to the civic virtues promoted by ancient philosophers and statesmen. This cultural momentum eventually contributed to the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in Denmark in 1848—the same year the Thorvaldsen Museum, Bindesbøll’s masterpiece, opened to the public.

Literature

The Dream of a Golden Age: Danish Neo-Classical Furniture, 1790-1850, Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen, 2004.
Furniture with Meaning: Danish Furniture 1840-1920, Volumes I & II, Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen, 2009.
Herculanum Paa Sjælland, Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen, 1988.
Gottlieb Bindesbøll, Peter Thule Kristensen, 2013.
Danish Neo-Antique Furniture: From Abildgaard to Kaare Klint, Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen, 2004.
Boucher Stéphanie. Les lits grecs en bronze de Bourgoin-Jallieu (Isère). In: Gallia, tome 40, fascicule 1, 1982. pp. 171-193;
M.G. Bindesbøll's Møbler i Thorvaldsens Museum, Mogens Koch, 1948.

Dimensions

Height: 37 in / 94 cm
Width: 19.5 in / 49.5 cm
Depth: 19 in / 48 cm

Seat: 19 in / 48 cm

Condition

These museum-grade chairs remain in exceptionally well-preserved, original condition. Please contact us to discuss conservation and bespoke upholstery options.