Desk in Macassar Ebony by Bruno Paul for Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau, 1920s

This exceedingly rare piece of furniture hails from the Art Deco period and was designed as part of a men’s room ensemble in 1935. It is an original piece created in the distinctive style of Bruno Paul and Hans Hartl, crafted with high-quality Macassar ebony. Hand polished to high-gloss finish, all locks working. Original glass in the back side. Original “Kontrollschein” indicating the model number.

Bruno Paul’s Artistic Journey

Bruno Paul, renowned as an architect, furniture designer, and caricaturist, began his artistic training in Dresden. In 1891, he relocated to Munich to complete his studies at the Academy of Arts. In 1897, Paul co-founded the Munich Workshops for Art in Crafts with Bernhard Pankok, Hermann Obrist, and Richard Riemerschmid. His furniture design was notably inspired by Henry van de Velde, characterized by simple, elegant shapes.

from February 1897, Paul contributed cartoons to the magazine “Simplicissimus,” established by publisher Albert Langen and painter Thomas Theodor Heine in Munich in 1895. By 1905, Paul had designed several exhibition interiors, including the waiting room at Nuremberg Central Station. He became the head of the arts and crafts school in Berlin in 1907 and subsequently worked as an architect in the city from 1907 to 1908, with many significant buildings to his credit.

A pivotal figure in the German Werkbund, Bruno Paul showcased three buildings at the 1914 Werkbund exhibition in Cologne: the Yellow House, the Wine House, and the Brewery. He later served as the director of the School for Fine and Applied Arts in Berlin, earning international acclaim, particularly for designing Macy’s department store in New York.

Paul’s career and perspective experienced significant changes by 1933, reflecting the tumultuous political and cultural shifts of the era.