A unique desk used by Edmond Van Eetvelde (1852-1925), the general secretary of the Congo Free State and right-hand man of King Leopold II, is back in its original location at the Hotel Van Eetvelde in Brussels. The showpiece by famous Belgian architect and designer Victor Horta disappeared for many years, until an art historian and collector found it in the Netherlands.
The iconic Hotel Van Eetvelde was purchased by the Brussels Region 3 years ago. Designed by the renowned art nouveau architect Victor Horta, the building is a World Heritage Site. A year after the purchase, the building was opened to the public.
One of the first visitors was Frederik Erens, a Dutch historian and art nouveau enthusiast. 'I saw the study and stored it in my memory. When I visited an antiques wholesaler a few weeks later, I saw the desk. I immediately realised that it was a Victor Horta.'
Erens was able to purchase the desk that is now on loan in the Hotel Van Eetvelde. He hopes the desk will be able to stay there in perpetuity.
Study is complete work of art
The entire study is a work of art by the world-renowned Belgian architect Victor Horta, who started building the art nouveau townhouse on the Palmerstonlaan in Brussels in 1895. After Van Eetvelde's death in December 1925, the art nouveau-style wooden desk disappeared from the diplomat's home. The desk was lost for a century, until its discovery by Erens.
The desk now once again adorns the spot for which it was once custom-made. The study of Belgian colonial era diplomat Van Eetvelde is fully restored to its former glory now that the “missing link” has also been returned. In addition, some other elements from the past have also been brought back including a bronze bust of Victor Rousseau. For a while, several gilded copper hearth irons from the Horta Museum have also been placed in front of the study's monumental fireplace.
‘We must preserve and continue to showcase our Brussels heritage, because furniture and art objects are part of our collective past. This project, which came about thanks to cooperation between public and private institutions, shows how we can bring our history back to life,’ says Ans Persoons, Brussels Secretary of State for Town Planning and Heritage.