The range of products offered was vast, including ‘Furniture complets, furniture de style, carpets, furniture papers, fabrics, fantasies, chairs…’. By 1890 the company had 170 workers.
A contributing factor to the firm’s success was certainly the title Purveyor to the Royal Household, which was awarded in 1871. The brand HF Jansen & Zonen, Amsterdam Hofleveranciers on the underside of this 5ft 1in (1.54m) rosewood bench on sale at Nagel in Stuttgart on July 14 with a guide of €2500-3500 denotes that it was manufactured after this date.
The identity of the original owners can also be discerned, as the back of the seat bears the coats of arms of the Dutch patrician families Scheltus and Brants, surmounted by a crown.
The two families had been connected by marriage since the 1688, when the successful printer and publisher Paulus Scheltius married Catharina Brants. In 1713 the family issued a medal to celebrate their silver wedding. It is conceivable that the late 19th century bench was commissioned with the 200th anniversary in mind.
