Small Pokerwork Art Nouveau Cabinet with Tulips and Cyclamen, c. 1900

A small pokerwork satinwood cabinet hand-decorated on the front and sides with floral motifs in the Art Nouveau style. Inside are two shelves and two small drawers. Pokerwork or pyrography is the free-handed art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. Here it is used to outline the flowers and provide a textured background. The black of the pokerworked area highlights the satinwood, which has been gently tinted with red to enhance the flowers.

The front door has been reticulated which shows on the inside. There is a working lock with the keyhole to the side.

The popularity of pokerwork coincided with the popularity of Art Nouveau between 1890 and 1910. Also known as Jugendstil in Germany and Stile Liberty in Italy, Art Nouveau was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. Characteristic were a sense of dynamism and movement, often given by asymmetry or whiplash lines. One major objective of Art Nouveau was to break down the traditional distinction between fine arts (painting and sculpture) and applied arts. This cabinet displays an artistry and three dimensionality which lifts it above others of its genre.