CHRISTIAN ERIKSSON | Bookcase, 1912

carved ebonised limed oak

Collection of Jacques Doucet, Paris and thence by descent
Maîtres Audap, Godeau and Solanet, Paris, May 27, 1974, lot 112
Galerie Rodolphe Perpitch, Paris
Private collection, Paris, acquired from the above circa 1975-1980

Meddelanden från Svenska Slöjdföreningen, 1899, Stockholm, p. 105 for a picture of Carl Laurin bookcase
Lena Hellström, Bröderna Erikssons möbelverkstad : när Taserudsjugend kom till världen, Karlstad, 2015, p. 196 for a picture of Carl Laurin bookcase

Good overall condition. Some scratches, small dents and small chips scattered. All consistent with age and use. Some wear to the ebonised wood, partially visible on the catalogue illustration and traces of previous attempts to cover it with black paint mostly along the edges. One of the shelves has been previously broken in two and then restored.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Christian Eriksson (1858-1935) was a Swedish sculptor who belonged to a family of cabinet makers based in Arvika. Working alongside his brothers under the name Bröderna Erikssons Möbelverkstad, they designed furniture which often included motifs carved by Christian. Among their clients was the art historian Carl G. Laurin, for whom they designed, around 1899, the first version of the present bookcase which the Svenska Slöjdföreningen (the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design) exhibited the same year. In March 1912, Jacques Doucet commissioned a replica of the bookcase for his Parisian townhouse in rue Spontini. The order is carefully documented in the Eriksson brothers' book of accounts, which is now conserved in the Rackstad Musset in Arvika. The present lot was commissioned only three months before the sale of his classical art collection in June 1912 and foreshadows Doucet's growing interest in the art of his timeWe would like to thank the Rackstad Museet for its help with the cataloguing of this lot