Sweden
18th century
Birch, burl alder veneer
35″ diameter x 29″ high

In 1776, when Anders Jacob Rosendahl was 14, he began studying cabinetmaking as an apprentice to Olof Gruzelius. By 1782 he had become an official member of the cabinetmakers’ guild. Later, after working for a time in Stockholm, he returned home to Aboga, becoming a master cabinetmaker in 1786. Rosendahl was highly regarded by collectors of fine furnishings, and served as a mentor to apprentices and journeymen.

The ebonized burr alder veneer of this tilt-top table is applied in an imaginative patchwork, creating a mesmerizing surface with serpentine movement. The golden figures of the grain emerge from the black background with a painterly effect.

Signed ‘A:J Rosendahl, Arboga’.

Illustrated in Alrotsmästaren Anders Jacob Rosendahl, published in connection with an exhibition about the cabinetmaker at Arboga Museum in 1984.