Oak Cabinet by Hildo Krop, 1930s

This unique wardrobe cabinet was designed and executed by Hildo Krop for his own home, circa 1930. The large cabinet is made of black stained oak with lacquered red and blue oak legs and a mirror door. The cabinet was made by Krop in his own workshop and has always remained in the Krop family by descent. In 1963, Krop gifted the cabinet to his son Johan, who in turn gifted it to his own son Hildo (named after his grandfather) later. A signed provenance certificate from Krop’s grandson is available. Krop originally used this piece as a wardrobe for his coats, but it could also function as a storage cabinet once shelves are added (not included).

Interestingly, the design constitutes a radical break with Krop’s usual style which was deeply rooted in the expressive and dramatic Amsterdam School style. In its modernist reduction to the essentials of form and color, the use of unadorned stained oakwood and the primary colors of the legs display a striking similarity to the abstraction proposed by the artists of De Stijl such as Gerrit Rietveld and Theo Van Doesburgh.

Hildebrand Lucien (Hildo) Krop (1884-1970) was a prolific Dutch sculptor and furniture designer, widely known as the city sculptor of Amsterdam, where his work can still be seen, among others, on interbellum buildings and bridges. Several of his furniture designs now belong to museum collections, including the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum and the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.