Hi all. I am trying to find out where I can find information regarding what these pieces could be valued at. They are from about 1900 and were made by Julius Groschkus as a wedding present set from the Kaiser to his son. Would they be valuable? Any info would be most appreciated.
Value is often associated with location. Where in the world are these located? (This is an international forum.) Such large items would likely have to be sold locally. Keep in mind that this is not really a place for valuations. That said, some here will share what they think it could sell for but their knowledge is often based on their own location.
I was prepared to be skeptical, but these pieces are amazing. Late 19th Century, Renaissance Revival, walnut. Nice association as well. I would get a high-end local appraiser to look at these, but I would estimate their value in the thousands U.S.
Seconded. They're really nice pieces of later Victorian furniture, but association with the Kaiser is where the money is. Value goes higher if they're in Europe, because that's where the market probably is.
Welcome. Do you have reliable provenance that they were wedding presents from the Kaiser to his son? ~Cheryl
Hmm the tag says Court Master Carpenter to the Empress (Kaiserin) and not Emperor (Kaiser) though. Is that right? Beautiful work, regardless. I have a cabinet from probably the same period so I'm biased.
I mean idk maybe they liked Her Majesty better, but you'd think putting both of them on the tag would be an even better prestige! I'm also curious which of the 6 sons this was purported to be a gift to...
The equivalent to a British Royal Warrant. But no connection yet to the Kaiser and his family. Debora
He looked after the empire, she organized everything domestic. That was often the case with the aristocracy. It is a general tradition, men work outside the home, women take care of the home and the family.
Grand pieces Severine. The equivalent of the Royal Warrant is a Hoflieferant, purveyor to the court. A Hoftischlermeister, on the other hand, would have been one of the Hofhandwerker, craftspeople who worked at the court. Given that he was a Tischlermeister, a master carpenter, he probably designed and oversaw work. Hofhandwerker had their workshops inside the palace grounds. Some Hofhandwerker had another workshop outside the court, like J. Groschkus clearly had. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofhandwerker I wonder if having the plaque with the address of his own workshop meant these weren't made for a royal but sold through his workshop in the city.
Thank you for the clarification. All the pieces of his I've seen floating around the internet carry a plaque. Debora
It's part of what made Catherine the Great, Empress Maria Theresa, and Queen Victoria so interesting. Not to mention their husbands, both bad and good. IIRC Maria Theresa's hubby was the primary caregiver to the children, including Marie Antoinette, at least until he died young. I can't remember his name for anything, but I'd bet the biographies are interesting to say the least.
Absolutely. And Catherine the Great was 'only' a consort, even more impressive. A German girl on the Russian throne who became the greatest monarch of Russia. Even greater than Peter the Great imo. Franz-Stefan, aka Franz I. I believe he was king of Lorraine. They are.
Catherine literally staged a takeover if memory serves. She was something else. Franz-Stefan was an 18th century guy doing a late 20th century / 21st century role swap. I'd bet many a PhD disseration has been done on him.
