Wall hung cabinet

Anonymous, for A. Lagerberg

Sweden, 1897

An expressive allmoge inspired cabinet that reflects the late 19th century Swedish interest in vernacular craft, a direction championed by designers and workshops such as A. Lagerberg. The piece belongs to the same cultural moment in which Stockholm’s exhibitions of the 1890s highlighted a growing curiosity for new European ideas, alongside a reassessment of national traditions.

Constructed in warm stained wood, the cabinet features open shelving above a lower storage section with paneled doors. Carved foliate ornaments and painted details in green and red contribute to its strong visual identity, closely related to the Scandinavian interpretation of early l’art nouveau. Turned supports, arched cutouts, and delicate sculptural accents show the influence of artisans who were moving beyond strict neo Renaissance and neo Rococo models that had dominated Swedish furniture production in the preceding decades.

The workshop of A. Lagerberg, later known for assisting Ellen Key with her program exhibitions at the Stockholm Workers’ Institute, stood at the forefront of this shift toward a more expressive and modern sensibility. This cabinet illustrates that transition. It draws on rustic allmoge motifs while engaging with the new decorative languages emerging across Europe at the time.

Overall, the piece stands as a distinctive example of Swedish craft at the turn of the century, rooted in tradition yet shaped by a progressive artistic vision.

Presented at the Stockholm Exhibition of 1897.