Ref.03144
Gabriel VIARDOT (1830 – 1906), Chinese stool

In stained beech wood and gilded bronze. With a shape made up of curves and counter-curves, this stool is strongly influenced by Far-Eastern works, particularly Chinese or Japanese furniture. Consisting of three shelves brought together with the four feet, this little piece has a completely original profile, with a narrowing in the upper part. The upper shelf is the smallest.  The middle is decorated with latticed panels, just like the lower table. The feet are trimmed with gilded bronze ornaments, also influenced by Japanese bronzes. The completely wooden parts are engraved with scrolls, like the center of the middle shelf whose engraving adopts a scalloped profile. The shapes of this stool, as well as the latticed wood and the bronze decorations are to be compared with a cabinet conserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London (W.17:1, 2-1971), signed by Gabriel Viardot and dated in 1888. The bronze of this stool can also be compared with those of a showcase for this cabinetmaker, preserved in the Musee d’Orsay (OAO 1652).

Ref.11422
Pair of presentation harnesses, inspired by the Far East

This pair of Japanese style harnesses was made in the 19th century. The circular tray is highlighted by a belt of bronze plates with openwork decoration of Chinese motifs. They stand on four curved feet of square cross-section, crowned by bronze elephant heads and finished by a bronze winding.

Ref.14850
Maison Bernard, wrought iron craftsman, pair of richly decorated floor lamps, circa 1889

These monumental floor lamps were made circa 1889 by the the wrought-iron craftsman Antoine Bernard. They each rest on three feet in the shape of lion's paws extending in the form of volutes covered with ornamental acanthus leaves; in the center, the scrolls join a central foot, masked by masks and leather straps. Higher up, the uprights are hidden by a large shell. The central part is thin, then a large, richly decorated prominence announces the crowning of the floor lamp. Finally, a vase receives the glass ball of the luminaire, itself crowned with a small radiant circle of algae. One of the original opaque glass balls was carved with harmonious streaks forming a translucent star; the same pattern was reproduced on the other, in order to restore the harmony of the pair and return the lamp to its original appearance. Bernard took part in the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900 in Paris. Several examples of this floor lamp were exhibited at the 1889 exhibition. They were listed as "Louis XIV candelabras" in La Construction Moderne of 21 December 1889, which, following on from the previous edition of 14 December, listed the "remarkable samples of [the] art [of ironwork]" at that year's Exhibition; this mention was accompanied by an engraving. Bernard also presented two "consoles in the Louis XIV style" at the exhibition, which are probably similar in style to our light fittings. The Bernard company responded to very prestigious orders. She notably executed the Honor Gate, or Rooster Gate, of the Élysée Palace, in 1900. This gate has many characteristics in common with the two lamps: the same monumentality, the same foliage ornaments bring them together.