Wood, design and sustainability
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Harpsichord, c. 1737. Christian Zell, Hamburg. Boxwood, ebony, red pine and maple. Museu de la Música de Barcelona
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No. 414 Chair. c. 1890. Gebrüder Thonet. Steamed beech, solid cane wickerwork and iron. Production: Gebrüder Thonet, Vienna. Donation: Espai Corbat, 2018. MDB 3.076
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Chest of drawers, 1875–1900. Maison Millet. Oak, rosewood, bois satinée, bronze and Breche Violette marble. Production: Maison Millet, Paris (1853–1918) MDB 648
The second area focuses on wood as the great ally of humanity throughout history. It accordingly displays several wood-based man-made materials, from the Palaeolithic period to the present day, with an emphasis on artefacts or designs that, over the course of history, have represented a turning point in the cultural evolution of human life, with regard to both the natural environment and social milieu. From the Shöningen spears, today's oldest-known wooden artefacts, created by humans some 400,000 years ago, and the ladle, a design of global reach, cultural diversity and wood biodiversity that has stood the test of time, to the steam-curved wood procedure that led to the democratisation of furniture in the second half of the 19th century, by enabling its mass production, storage, assembly and spread throughout Europe.