Although largely unknown today, the work of José Canops (1733–1814, an ébéniste of German descent born Joseph Cnops) and his Madrid workshop is one of the crowning achievements of European furniture-making.

The furniture and boiseries are from the apartments of Charles III of Spain, a Gesamtkunstwerk in exuberant rococo style conceived by the court painter and stuccoist Mattia Gasparini – a truly European creation inspired by Italian traditions, a taste for Parisian opulence and the exotic worlds of Asia. Such elements combine in Canops’s work with the precision of German cabinetmaking and the riches of the Spanish colonies.

The starting point for the exhibition and publication was the acquisition for the Kunstgewerbemuseum of a magnificent roll-top desk by José Canops. With lavish new photography and never previously exhibited loans from the Patrimonio Nacional (the Spanish royal collections in Madrid), German and international audiences are afforded a glimpse into a hitherto hidden world.

Programme of Supporting Events

In conjunction with the Spanish Embassy, the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut of the Preußischer Kulturbesitz and Instituto Cervantes Berlin, the exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of supporting events within the context of the 2023 Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Media cooperation: WELTKUNST

A special exhibition of the Kunstgewerbemuseum – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin