Lot 245
245
A BAUHAUS CHESS SET DESIGNED BY JOSEF HARTWIG (1880-1956)
A BAUHAUS CHESS SET DESIGNED BY JOSEF HARTWIG (1880-1956)

Designed 1924

Details
A BAUHAUS CHESS SET DESIGNED BY JOSEF HARTWIG (1880-1956)
Designed 1924
Part-stained wood, paper-cloth board, oak box with brass clasp
2 ¾ in. (6 cm.) high; 5 ¼ in. (13 cm.) square
Provenance
Gifted to Dr. Ludwig and Gertrude-Maud Grote on the occasion of their engagement, 1926;
Thence by descent.
Literature
Similar example:
M. Droste, Bauhaus 1919-1933, Berlin, 1993, p. 94;
J. Stein, Bauhaus, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1976, p. 313.

Lot Essay

Hartwig’s design for a chess set endures as an iconic representation of the reductive aesthetic of the Bauhaus. Often, these sets were offered for sale during open days at the school, in order to generate income for the departments.

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