last quarter of the 19th century, rosewood veneered hardwood frame with concave sides, three glazed sides with facetted glasses, 2 doors and sides with Bucolic scenes, so-called ‘vernis Martin’ decoration, lavishly ornamented with bronze mounts, bronze feet terminating in the form of hooves, interior lined with velvet, 2 new glass shelves, c. 170 x 108 x 46 cm, moulded marble top, well-kept condition. (DOC)

ASB

Engraved bronze mount in the central cornice area with dedication “1872-1897” - and a bronze banderole underneath, reading: Else, Ernst, Stefan, Erwin, Hans. The present item was probably a gift on the occasion of the silver wedding anniversary of Donat Zifferer and his wife from their children.

<>Prov.:
Donat (1845-1909) and Rosa (1851-1911) Zifferer, Vienna;
Hans Zifferer (1883-1929), Vienna;
Johannes Donatus Zifferer (1921-1997), Vienna;
his heirs - Private Collection Vienna.

Donat Zifferer was born in Moravia in 1845. He attended secondary school in Brno, and later studied at the Technical University in Vienna. In the early 1870s, aged 25, he set up a business of his own and obtained a licence to work as a master builder. He also worked closely with Leopoldstädter Baugesellschaft, of which he was managing director. In the following thirty years, he was very successful both as a master builder and as a building contractor. Donat Zifferer, who was active in the last quarter of the 19th century, worked almost exclusively as a master builder. He worked with the most renowned architects of his time, including Ludwig Tischler and Fellner & Helmer. He was also friends with Max Fleischer, with whom he erected several buildings for the religious community in Vienna. His activity focussed primarily on residential construction for the upper middle class, distinguishing himself also as a building contractor. In the 1880s, in particular, he very successfully purchased building lots from the urban expansion fund, tore down the buildings intended for demolition and finally constructed new ones on the land that had thus become vacant. Zifferer is credited with the construction of more than 250 buildings, many of which are located in the area surrounding the Votivkirche and the Town Hall. In the early 1870s, Donat Zifferer married Rosa Schüler, who was also politically active and later made a name for herself in Austria as a women’s rights activist. Their marriage produced three children. The eldest daughter, Elsa, married the architect Ernst v. Gotthilf, with whom Zifferer would work on several occasions in his late years. Zifferer’s prominent position in the construction industry was also reflected in the lavish celebration of his 25th anniversary, which took place at Vienna’s “Metropol” hotel in 1900. Zifferer, who was also a sought-after juror, retired from working life in around 1905, possibly due to illness. He died from pneumonia in Vienna in 1909.