Fritz Nagel, son of the furniture manufacturer A. Nagel, studied architecture under Josef Hoffmann at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna from 1903 to 1906, partly at the same time as Mauritius Herrgesell (see catalogue number 50.). The two competed repeatedly in prize competitions organised by the magazine "Innendekoration" [Interior Decoration].
Nagel designed this desk as part of the furnishings for a gentleman’s study. All of this furniture is structured on the same principle, contoured vertical rectangles. This piece was made in his father’s workshop.
Cat. no. H21/55