Art Nouveau freestanding stove

cast iron, majolica; height: 72 cm; width: 69 cm; depth: 45 cm;
on the front, a cast, oval cartouche with the inscription: Ster.
Western Europe (France or Belgium?), ca. 1900–1910.
A freestanding “goat-style” stove. The body is designed on a nearly elliptical plan, with a strongly undulating, sculptural outline; the sides and semicircular base of the appliance are entwined with pine branches featuring sculptural pinecones; the central part consists of a round, openwork firebox door featuring a motif of intersecting pine twigs with cones, with an ash pan drawer below; at the top, a handle with a turned knob made of white ceramic; above it, a hinged ceramic door with an inscribed cartouche, covering the fuel-loading or ventilation opening; at the back, an opening for connecting to a chimney.
The stove is characterized by an organic, fluid form typical of the mature Art Nouveau style. Such appliances were highly valued because they combined compact dimensions with high heating efficiency and, above all, served as small works of applied art.