Brilliant Aesthetic Movement Mahogany, Burl Veneer, Cherry, and Poplar Hall Stand Herts Brothers (1872-1937), New York, New York, c. 1880 Exceptional hall stand in two parts, the bottom with marble-top breakfront below the upper section centering a large mirror, impressed 'HERTS BROTHERS / 806 & 808 BROADWAY, N.Y.' on the front rail of breakfront and three times on reverse, richly carved ivy ornament and incised motifs in the manner of Christopher Dresser, old finish, original hardware including cast iron pans set into umbrella racks, 187cm wide, 43cm deep, 289cm high (74in wide, 17in deep, 114in high). Footnotes: Provenance Shipped by WridgWays to Melbourne, Australia, 16 December 2001. Note Herts Brothers was a leading interior decorating firm, manufacturing architectural woodwork and 'artistic furniture' in New York City from 1872-1937. The marks on this piece date to c. 1872-87, when the company leased warehouse space in Dodworth Hall at 806-8 Broadway, a theater that once adjoined Grace Episcopal Church. The surplus stock at this location, sold without reserve at auction, included 'Bedroom Suits in mahogany, cherry, ash, sycamore and walnut, with Armoires, Wardrobes and Chiffoniers to match. Parlor Suits in silk plush, damask, brocatelle and tapestry; conversation and odd shape Chairs; easy Chairs, Lounges, Dining-room Suits in oak and mahogany; Hall Stands, Mirrors, Stained Glass for windows and panels. Mantels in various woods; Easels, Pedestals, together with an assortment of sample pairs of Curtains, Lambrequins, Portieres, &c. in plush, raw silk, satin, velour and cretonne' (New-York Tribune, 26 April 1887). Herts counted the Vanderbilts and Astors among their clients, outfitting yachts as well as private homes. The May 1888 issue of Decorator and Furnisher noted that Herts built 'the most expensive sideboard ever made in the United States' for the Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, dining room of Judge Harry E. Packer, who paid $47,000 for the piece - well over $1.5 million today. In 1891, Steinway & Sons contracted Herts Brothers to furnish their showroom, Steinway Hall, on 14th Street. Herts supplied interior paneling for McKim, Mead & White's New York State Building at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, where they also exhibited. Furniture by Herts Brothers is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing