Antique Secessionist Armchairs by Joseph Maria Olbrich for F. O. Schmidt, 1898, Set of 2

Object: Secessionist armchair (2 examples available)
Design: Joseph Maria Olbrich (Vienna, 1898)
Model number: -
Execution: Friedrich Otto Schmidt (Vienna, 1898)
Dimensions in cm (H x W x D x SH): 125.5 × 63 × 55 × 54
Material: Solid oak, brass, fabric ("Abimelech", design: Koloman Moser, Vienna, 1899)
Condition: Professionally conserved (reupholstered)

Additional Information:

These objects are a collaboration between GALERIE TRAUDES KINDER & FLORIAN KOLHAMMER - art since the turn of the 20th century.


The two armchairs were created in 1898 according to designs by Joseph Maria Olbrich for the second exhibition of the Vienna Secession, which was ceremonially opened on November 12 in the newly constructed Secession Building at Friedrichstrasse 12, 1010 Vienna. This presentation is considered the most significant in the early history of the Secession, as it was the first to take place in the purpose-built building and showcased the new exhibition space to its full potential.

The chairs were displayed in the "Arts and Crafts Room"—a space in which the association's new aesthetic program, the blurring of boundaries between art and applied design, was expressed in a harmonious unity of form, material, and concept. The strict lines, geometric clarity, and focus on basic tectonic forms are closely related to other seating furniture that Olbrich created for this exhibition, particularly those in the "Entrance Hall" and the "Main Exhibition Hall." While Josef Hoffmann designed the famous "Ver Sacrum" room, employing a significantly more restrained design language (chairs with lower backs), these armchairs unmistakably bear Olbrich's signature.

The chairs were most likely made by the Wiener Werkstätte "Friedrich Otto Schmidt." Founded in Vienna in 1859, the company evolved from a wallpaper business into a leading studio for interior design and maintained close ties with artists and architects of Viennese Modernism. Under Max Hermann Schmidt, the firm collaborated with artists such as Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann, and the Vienna Secession, undertook key commissions for exhibitions, and decisively shaped modern interior design. The catalog's expression of gratitude to Schmidt "for the decorative furnishing of our house and our exhibition" supports the assumption that the chairs originated from his workshop.

Professional conservation preserved the original wood to the greatest extent possible; only minor repairs were necessary. The brass legs were carefully cleaned and polished, and the wooden surfaces were then sealed with wax to preserve their authentic patina. For the reupholstering, the choice fell on the fabric "Abimelech" by Koloman Moser for Backhausen & Söhne – a design from 1899 that had already been used for curtains and a sofa at the 1900 Paris World's Fair, as well as in Hall 7 of the 8th Secession Exhibition. "Abimelech" means "Father of the King" or "My Father is King" and lends the chairs symbolic depth: the high backrests create a throne-like presence, while the name suggests dignity, authority, and sovereign composure. In the interplay of form, material, and name, craftsmanship, artistic vision, and symbolic meaning merge into a unity that imbues the furniture with not only elegance but also an almost mythical aura. At the same time, the choice of fabric underscores the close collaboration within the Secession and forges an aesthetic link between Olbrich's design and Moser's visionary textile design.

Their historical context makes these chairs unique testaments to an artistic awakening. In the same exhibition, Gustav Klimt presented key works such as Pallas Athena and The Velvet Apple Tree, while in the central room, the atmospherically dense Moving Water and a sensitive portrait of a child were on display. Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Gustav Gurschner exhibited groundbreaking objects, Otto Wagner was represented with architectural works, and Olbrich himself significantly shaped the exhibition's visual identity with his interior designs and furniture.

The armchairs fit seamlessly into this revolutionary environment and embody the "Ver Sacrum"—the sacred spring—which the Secession chose as a symbol of renewal. They embody the spirit of a new beginning: clear and austere in form, radical in its break with historicism, and driven by the idea of ​​elevating art to a comprehensive principle of life. They are thus not only extremely rare pieces of furniture but also manifestations of a historical moment in which Vienna took the step into modernity.