Ansichten vom Wiener Rathauskeller.

Vienna: Martin Gerlach, 1899.

Oblong portfolio, lettered boards and cloth spine, ties. The portfolio contains fifty-one photographic plates on thick card stock of the interiors of the Rathauskeller, decorated by Lefler and Urban, assisted by Karl Wilda, Alexander Goltz, Hugo Darnaut and others. Lacking the accompanying booklet. The booklet would contain the text and fifteen chromolithograph plates, and frankly the most visually exciting part of the work. The restaurants, wine cellar, bar, and halls were located beneath Vienna's City Hall, and was the most significant project awarded by the Viennese government to an architect at the turn of the century. Huge murals by Lefler in the style of his and Urban's medieval and historical book illustrations provided the overall decorative scheme which included the furniture and architectural elements. A wonderful documentation of this work of fin-de-siècle fin-de-siècle architecture and decoration by the "Twins", as they were known in Jugendstil circles (Carter and Cole, Joseph Urban, pages 24-30). Portfolio binder split at cloth hinges, otherwise very good; original ties all present. Lacking the accompanying booklet. Good only.

Price: $500.00