Hand-Carved Gothic
Furniture
Maene produced some of the finest Gothic furniture ever made in the United States — every piece hand-carved in his downtown Philadelphia workshops on Locust St. and Hutchinson St.
In an era when steam power was transforming furniture production, Maene's shop operated by the standards of the medieval atelier. His Gothic pieces were commissioned by the industrialists and professionals who shaped Gilded Age Philadelphia — heirloom pieces from the day they were delivered, many surviving in family collections today.
Hand-carved walnut
Figural Curio Cabinet
A remarkable display cabinet with figural carved supports — female figures serving as columns at each corner, rendered with the detail and confidence of a master sculptor. The glazed rotating drum allows full 360° display of the objects within. A showpiece that sits at the intersection of furniture and fine sculpture.
Hand-carved oak with upholstery
Baroque Throne Armchair
An armchair of commanding presence — barley-twist legs and stretchers, a towering carved crest with figurative detail, and boldly scrolled arms. The upholstered back and seat in warm gold fabric complete a piece that would have anchored the grandest library or reception room in Gilded Age Philadelphia.
Hand-carved oak
Gothic Keyhole Chair
Maene's signature keyhole-back chair — the tracery carved in the splat echoes the Gothic windows of the great churches for which he carved altars and screens. The round seat with carved detail, tripod base, and delicate stretchers make this one of the most distinctive pieces of American Gothic Revival furniture. Every joint cut and fitted by hand.
Hand-carved walnut
Monumental Carved Bed
A grand carved bed — the headboard carrying deep-relief foliate and figurative carving of cathedral quality. The boldly carved cornice, panelled footboard, and turned column posts make this a private sanctuary worthy of a public commission. Pieces of this scale were Maene's most prestigious domestic commissions, commissioned by Philadelphia's wealthiest industrialist families.
Hand-carved walnut
Carved Wardrobe
A large carved wardrobe — the prestige domestic commission of the era. Maene's wardrobes were heirloom pieces from the day they were delivered. The carved panel decoration across the doors demonstrates his mastery of both flat-relief and deep-relief carving within a single composition, with the architectural cornice and base mouldings executed with the precision of a church commission.
A Family Legacy
This site is a tribute to our Great-Grandfather, Edward Maene. Both his daughter Clara M. Maene (who married Dr. John Partrick O'Brien) and his son Victor Albert Maene (who married Emma V. Gillespie) worked alongside their father. The family retains Rose Valley furniture handed down from Edward Maene and a metal name stamp — E.Maene — from the Rose Valley workshop.
— T.O'B., the family of Edward Maene