A rare coffin mirror by Jakob Altenberg

An absolutely exceptional, supremely rare coffin shaped mirror.

This piece is original- not a reproduction- and bears it’s original late 19th to very early 20th century maker’s label to the reverse: Jakob Altenberg.

In 1898, Altenberg opened his first store as a frame dealer and goldsmith at 37 Wiedner Hauptstraße. Within a few years he became a successful operator of a small framing workshop and a thriving chain of frame shops and art, in which frames were offered for sale, along with pictures and small art objects (characters, etc.). From 1909 to 1913, Altenberg was in business contact with the young Adolf Hitler, who lived at that time as a painter in Vienna. Until his move to Germany in May 1913, Hitler supplied Altenberg's stores on a regular basis with his own paintings, mostly watercolours, which Altenberg used as filler for the frames on display. The relationship between Hitler and Altenberg was good regardless of Altenberg's Jewish ancestry, and Altenberg is reported to have said that he never heard Hitler utter an anti-Semitic remark. This history makes this a very complex piece (more details in the link below).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Altenberg

This one is not for the faint hearted- both myself and my partner have seen moving shadows in this mirror. It could be the light… it could be the heavy foxing and the ‘fogging’ (in image one the streaks are in the mirror, not on the surface). However it could be more…

You will not find better and that is assured. Absolutely superb.

Dimensions:

All approximate

Height 63cm

Max width 43cm

Width at bottom 25cm

Metal skull seen is life size for scale

Condition: Where there are specific points to note we will detail these as far as possible but please be aware that all our items have wear commensurate with age and are as seen in the photographs. If you require any specific information please do not hesitate to get in contact. As seen in the images, but not limited to: light scratches and foxing to the plate and wear to the frame, but this adds to the mystery of this beautiful piece.