A HIGHLY IMPORTANT NEW ZEALAND CHAISE LOUNGE BY ANTON TEUTENBERG

the back rail centred by a finely carved head of a handsome Maori, flanked by two stylised animals and gargoyle mask, the carved arms incorporating two canine species amongst leaves on carved acanthus bun feet, upholstered in a modern damask style fabric




 

FERDINAND ANTON NICOLAUS TEUTENBERG
(1840-1933)
Ferdinand Anton Nicolaus Teutenberg was born on 4 December 1840 in the town of Husten, Westphalia, Germany, (about 100 kilometres north of Cologne) the son of Franziska Koppeins and her husband Anton Ludwig Teutenberg. Anton senior was an engraver and gunsmith to King Frederick Wilhelm IV of Prussia. His son Ferdinand (or Anton as he was known during his life) inherited skill with his hands and was trained by his father to work in metal. The young Anton also demonstrated considerable pencil sketching skills. He served two years as a conscript in the Prussian army and probably as a consequence of this experience, combined with the social instability in Europe at the time, decided to seek his fortunes elsewhere in the world. His older brother Frederick had travelled widely as a mercenary and had spent time in New Zealand, having arrived with Gustavus von Tempsky of the Forest Rangers fame. On Frederick’s advice, Anton, his sisters Ida and Franziska (Francis) and a cousin Carl Jansen left Europe for New Zealand, eventually docking in Auckland on 20 July 1866.
During the voyage to New Zealand on the sailing ship Rob Roy, Teutenberg carved an elegant piece of scrollwork for Captain Sangster’s dinghy. The result so impressed the captain that he showed it to Messrs. Amos and Taylor, the contractors building the Supreme Court building in Auckland. They were also impressed and immediately hired Teutenberg to carve the gargoyle and royalty sculptures that adorn the building.
The Shortland Street Post Office, Pitt Street Methodist Church, St Johns Methodist Church, the Bank of New South Wales, Queen Street and the Waiwera Hotel were all embellished with either stone or wood carvings by Teutenberg. This was a remarkable feat since Anton had never used stone as a medium before completing the Supreme Court carvings.   
Soon after his arrival in Auckland, Anton set himself up as a die maker and engraver. His interests and skills were wide and varied and over the following years he also advertised as a carver, artist, naturalist, jeweller and gun maker both in his own right and with his brother Karl. However it was as a medallist and an engraver that Teutenberg achieved his lasting recognition. He made seals for chemists and goldmines, prize medals for agricultural organisations, religious medallets, school and college badges, kennel club prizes, cage bird prizes, regatta prizes, fire brigade medals and pieces to mark special events. 
Anton Teutenberg married German born Nannchen Nicolai at Auckland on 2 October 1881 and they had three sons. Anton became a naturalised New Zealander on 3 November 1908 and died in Auckland on 2 October 1933 aged 92, leaving a substantial volume of work as a legacy of his craftsmanship. As much as possible of his work has been catalogued by the Numismatic Society of Auckland Inc, which holds a quantity of his work. 

We would like to thank Brian Peet for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.

Please see Duncan, J.B. 'Teutenberg, Ferdinand Anton Nicolaus 1840-1933', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography