TILED STOVE BY ZELM & BOEHM WITH RELIEF PANEL AFTER KARL BECKER

A rare tiled ceramic stove from the late 19th century, produced by the Riga-based manufacturer Zelm & Boehm and decorated in the Neo-Renaissance style with sculptural reliefs. The cladding is made of dark green glazed tiles, featuring a central Berlin panel — a relief ceramic insert above the firebox. The scene is based on Karl Becker’s painting Anton Fugger Burning the Promissory Notes of Charles V before the Emperor (1866, National Gallery, Berlin), and was designed by German architect and ceramic artist Paul Obst. The top is crowned with a broken pediment adorned with angelic figures, acanthus motifs, and mascarons.

This fireplace matches a documented model from the Zelm & Boehm catalogue and was likely made for the noble residence Bīriņu Pils near Riga. It was probably dismantled in the 1930s.

Marks:
Impressed stamp: Zelm Boehm, Riga on the reverse side of the tiles.

Dimensions:
Height: over 350 cm. Width and depth correspond to standard hall-type fireplaces of the late 19th century.

Condition:
Partially preserved: upper decorative pediment is missing, glaze is damaged in some areas, tiles show surface dust, reliefs are clearly legible. The stove is currently in disassembled condition. Suitable for museum-level restoration.

Provenance:
Bīriņu Pils, Latvia. Built in 1860 for August von Pistolkors, designed by architect F. W. Hess. After WWII, the castle was converted into a Soviet-era sanatorium, during which period the original interiors were stripped or destroyed.