FAMOUS SADDLE USERS

[Keine Beschreibung eingegeben]The German Emperor Wilhelm II – riding on his saddle into exile

In order to write down your memoirs you need time – and  the appropriate workplace. Emperor Wilhelm II had the first in abundance after he had to emigrate to the Netherlands as a result of disastrously losing a battle in 1918.
The Saddle Seat. At the house of Doorn, home of the emperor until his death in 1941, now featuring a museum, you can still see the saddle seat the monarch was using for writing purposes. This piece of furniture, made of carved limewood, with its white and golden edges,  was manufactured in Germany at the beginning of the 20. century. It even features a saddle seat that is height adjustable.
During his reign Germany`s last emperor  already set his hopes on the saddle seat: The seat was originally placed in his study at  Bellevue castle in Berlin.

(We would like to thank Museum Huis Doorn for providing us with information and pictorial material. http://www.huisdoorn.nl/)


[Keine Beschreibung eingegeben]Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – a fan of the
„indispensable meuble“


Whoever copied the other`s idea cannot be finally determined : The fact is : Goethe was a fan of the saddle seat, and he loved his „donkey“ or „rider“ as the furniture was called at the time. In Goethe`s cottage in Weimar you can still find his desk, made of ash, beech and oak wood, covered in kidskin, the desk Germany`s famous poet literally posessed.
So, did Goethe, after leafing through the „Journal of Luxury and Fashion“, issued in May 1786, get the inspiration to use a different kind of chair?

[Keine Beschreibung eingegeben]Friedrich Justin Bertuch wrote : „A man who has to spend long periods of time writing by all means needs a „meuble“, a desk he can use standing up, allowing for a number of  different, healthy positions. (...) So if he tires after standing upright for hours, the chair, the so-called „donkey“ can be used like  a saddle. It should be of a height that, in order to take a rest, you can sit on it halfway standing up. All the while you will be granted the advantages of standing up, so that your lower body will not suffer from the pressure created by normal sitting.“ But, maybe Bertuch saw the „donkey“ used by Goethe first and then proceded to recommend it to his readers? However: Mankind would definitely have profited not only from admiring the great poet`s work but also his way of sitting …

(We would like to thank the Klassik Stiftung Weimar for providing us with information and pictorial material. http://www.klassik-stiftung.de/)