Designmuseum Danmark on-line catalogue
/Designmuseum Danmark can only display a proportion of their collection and, even when an object is shown in a gallery or exhibition, there is usually a limit to how much information can be included on a label or in a leaflet or guide so the on-line catalogue of the museum is an amazing desk-top resource for finding out more about an object or more about a designer or a manufacturer.
There is a separate index for the museum's collection of furniture and this can be searched by category or by a specific year or a decade; by the name of the designer or the cabinetmaker / manufacturer or with key words and the search can be narrowed down by selecting, for instance, a type of wood from a drop-down list.
Inevitably, the amount of information revealed through the search varies slightly from object to object - the museum points out that the catalogue is being updated as new information becomes available - but there is usually a photograph and often several view points, and there are dimensions; materials; usually a date of acquisition and - if the piece was purchased by the museum rather than given as a gift - there is often the name of the auction house and a date because sale catalogues can be an important source for more information. Particularly for what is called provenance so the history of ownership for a more important or a more unusual work. For major objects there can be a specific bibliography if it has been included in a publication or an exhibition catalogue.
Designmuseum Danmark on-line site was redesigned recently and the catalogue of the collection can now be found from the front page by following the options or links:
Designmuseum Danmark home page / Library / Search in the collections / Furniture Index