Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 25. (Budapest, 2007)

Zsolt SOMOGYI: Pál Horti's Late Works in the United States of America

5. Viennese Clock No 339 and Library Table No 335. Detailfrom the articles’ catalogue of the Shop of the Crafters, Cincinnati, 1906, p. 11. (Facsimile edition: New York, 1983)

Michigan in 1906, building at the same time picturesque and ‘wholesome’ housing for his workers.22 Up to the outbreak of the First World War, the success of its Arts & Crafts furniture was continuous; after 1918 it manufactured pieces that were a little less massive and whose proportions were a little more expanded. The Charles P. Limbert Company survived the death of its founder, continuing in operation until 1944.

Of the known Horti designs, those for the armchair, the small bookcase and the ‘writing shelf (a desk with a writing surface that folded down) bear the name of Charles Limbert, along with address of his factory. The drawings were made in St. Louis in 1904. With its side-bars and the heart- shaped cut-outs on its back, the armchair

represents nothing new in comparison to the products presented in the factory’s catalogue of 1903.23 However, we do not find pieces similar to the bookcase and the ‘writing-shelf in the promotional material published by the company prior to Horti’s arrival. The division of the bookcase into three parts and the supplying of its doors with square panes of glass are in line with the American Arts & Crafts trend. On the other hand, the curved cornice on its upper part reflects the influence of European Art Nouveau, primarily that of Henry van der Velde. Also with clean lines, the writing shelf s writing surface, which leans inwards when closed, is given long ornamented mountings by the artist. The sides of this piece of furniture are embellished with

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