Ref.12316
Important fireback with the coat of arms of Germain du val

Beautiful fireback from the 16th century with fretwork contours. Under the central arch adorned with a leonine mask, two figures disguised as Mars and Venus are entwined. They are part of an architectural construction composed of a facade rhythmed with canephoric terms and crowned with a triangular pediment. The plaque bears the coat of arms of Germain Du Val, notary and secretary to the king from 1508 to 1533, Sieur du Mesnil en Vendômois, of Fontenay-en-Parisis, Bonneuil-les-Eaux, Lawarde-Mauger and La Hérelle. He was church warden of the church of Saint-Eustache in Paris. He died before 1641.

Ref.13868
Regence style garden fountain with double basin in stone

Ref.14330
Fireback dated 1688 with the arms of France

Ref.14132
Napoleon III-style double door

Ref.5802
Carrara marble Louis XV mantel in the Pompadour style

Ref.5723
Small Louis XVI style mantel with carved drapery in carrare marble

This small Louis XVI-style fireplace is characterized by its sobriety and geometrical composition. At the center of the band is a sculpted drape in low relief held in place by two rings. The rest of the band is simple, framed by a straight molding. Note that there is no defined separation between the band and the legs of this fireplace. The moldings framing the band continue up to the legs and open towards the interior of the fireplace. This fireplace is rectangular, and the moldings at right angles add dimension to its composition.

Ref.15693
Friedrich EGERMANN, Lithyalin glass vase (between 1832 and 1864)

This vase, with its translucent red appearance and fluorescent green base, features ten facets along a small body and a long neck—a shape typical of the Biedermeier style. Biedermeier was an artistic movement that emerged in Germany and Austria around 1814 and gradually faded by 1848. It reflected a new bourgeois lifestyle and way of thinking in Central Europe during the first half of the 19th century. Everything suggests that this vase was indeed produced by Friedrich Egermann: from its distinctive shape to its so-called “lithyalin” decoration. It was this very technique, invented by the glassmaker himself, that brought him fame. Bohemian glass regained popularity shortly after Napoleon’s fall, particularly due to the development of new coloring techniques. Between 1830 and 1844, Franz Xaver Riedel (1786–1844), a fifth-generation glassmaker from the Riedel family, developed a type of glass known as uranium glass, or “Uranium glass,” which he also called “Annagrün” in honor of his daughter. This glass contains a small amount of uranium, which gives it a fluorescent green hue. The proportion of uranium in such objects generally ranges from 0.1 to 2% of the object’s total weight. Inspired by this invention, Friedrich Egermann (1777–1864) combined it with the cementation technique he had himself developed. This process involves layering the glass with metallic oxides that alter its surface color. Egermann first discovered silver cementation (1816), which gives a yellow tint to the piece, and later, in 1832, developed copper cementation, which produces a translucent red. This glass, which Egermann called “lithyalin,” brought him wealth and renown, as it rivaled objects made of semi-precious stones. The Czech glassmaker remained the only one capable of producing lithyalin until 1840, when his workshop was burgled and his formulas were stolen and sold, even reaching France. Similar productions quickly emerged at the Saint-Louis glassworks and later at Baccarat around 1860. This vase is a precise testament to the combination of Riedel’s uranium glass and Egermann’s cementation. The color hidden within this creation is what gives it its enigmatic allure. To reveal its spectacular effect, the piece must be placed under ultraviolet light.

Ref.5845
Large Louis XV style fireplace decorated with a large shell, in Seravezza marble

This fireplace is made of Seravezza marble, its white background traversed by grey and black veining. The natural contrasts of the marble highlight the sculpted reliefs and give depth to the whole. The mantel shelf, with softened edges, displays the same nuances, ensuring a harmonious continuity. The façade adopts the characteristic lines of the Louis XV style, with a curved and sinuous entablature. The upper frieze projects slightly and flows into winding curves down to the jambs. These, curved and resting on rounded bases, frame the firebox generously. The ensemble stands on a matching hearth slab, decorated with three large rectangular panels of dark marble inlaid into the lighter stone. The carved decoration is concentrated on the central frieze, adorned with a large shell in relief surrounded by volutes and floral scrolls. The vegetal motifs unfold with fluidity, animating the stone surface. The jambs also display a more discreet decoration, with softened fluting that reinforces the elegance of the whole. The fireplace retains its cast iron interior, darkened by use, moulded with vegetal motifs in low relief arranged in symmetrical panels on either side of the opening. The hearth slab complements the fireplace with a contrasting geometric design, where dark inlays enliven the lighter surface.