In Hungary a rational and elegant version of the Biedermeier style evolved that reflected the taste of the progressive Reform Age nobility first and foremost, as well as that of the small middle-class stratum.

The centers of cabinetmaker's art in Hungary at this time were Buda and Pest, and the best-known cabinetmaker in Pest was Ferenc Steindl. In 1832 he took part in the making of furniture for Pest's Vigadó assembly rooms, and between 1837 and 1842 he worked on the furniture and fittings of the first Hungarian steamships. As with the armchairs in our collection, his early works were embellished sparsely; it was the decorative forms of the pieces themselves that ensured their artistic look.

In the 1840s Ferenc Steindl's stock of forms was enriched with Rococo elements, and intarsia embellishment was assigned an explicit role.

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