Ref.10940
BAYEUX MANUFACTURE - Four vases with polychrome and gold decoration with Chinese

These Bayeux porcelain vases feature rich decorations treated in polychrome and gold with Chinese characters, flowers and birds in medallions. The golden handles are made of bamboo branches.

Ref.12324
Group in carved veined alabaster representing two panthers

Group in carved veined alabaster signed P. Ruggeri, made at the beginning of the 20th century representing two panthers.

Ref.14668
Portrait of Hans Holbein, a wood marquetry painting attributed to FOURDINOIS

This original wood marquetry painting in relief depicts a portrait of Hans Holbein, a German Renaissance painter and engraver. It is framed in blackened wood with the pure, architectural forms typical of the neo-Renaissance style. The frame bears the identity of the artist, who is portrayed in profile, in keeping with the tradition of medals during the Renaissance. This work is attributed to the Fourdinois firm, run by Alexandre and Henri Fourdinois, famous for its 19th-century decorative arts. The name of this cabinetmaker, which has won numerous awards at the Universal Exhibitions, is associated with the triumphant luxury of the Second Empire. This neo-Renaissance portrait is part of the cult of figures from the past, from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, that characterised 19th-century historicism. It is no coincidence that they paid tribute to Holbein, a painter who also fascinated the writers Jules Verne and Honoré de Balzac. The Fourdinois family had a real passion for the Renaissance. En plein marquetry was invented by Henri Fourdinois and patented in 1864. This technique is based on the inlay of wood in all its thickness, giving the sculptor a surface that can be worked in both hollow and relief.

Ref.15086
BACCARAT, blue crystal vase with waders, circa 1880

Founded under Louis XV, the French crystal factory Baccarat demonstrated its excellence at Universal Exhibitions throughout the 19th century. This baluster-shaped vase has a wheel-engraved and gilded decoration on the steel blue crystal. Japanese-style, its decor presents two pairs of waders, whose varied positions bring the surrounding aquatic landscape to life. Its gilded bronze frame takes up the motifs of cherry blossom branches from the decoration of the body. The influence of Japanese prints is perceptible in the theme, as well as in the way of constructing the space and representing the landscape and animals. The decoration of this vase was used several times for the manufacture's creations, and affixed to different supports. Indeed, the Marc Maison gallery has a pair of opaline glass vases with an identical decoration. The “Clair de lune” vases created by Baccarat based on the model of Eugène Rousseau present the same principle of blue crystal vases with Japanese decoration, equipped with a very similar setting.

Ref.5740
Louis XV style mantel in highly carved Carrara marble

This Louis XV-style Carrara fireplace stands out through its symmetrical and detailed sculpture. White Carrara marble, sometimes with gray veins, has brightening and delicacy qualities that enable the sculptor to work in fine detail. This fineness/delicacy can be seen over the band and fireplace’s legs. The band is thinner on the sides and thickens in the center, producing its curved shape. Thin and hollow moldings follow the contours of the band. In the band’s center, acanthus leaves create the shape of a sun. The leaf tips stand out slightly, creating volume. High-relief curled leaves skirt this central form. On the sides, two flowers with leaves extended on either side. At the top of the fireplace's legs, the central shape of the band is recreated by the acanthus leaves. We can notice that a flower from the acanthus leaves runs/gets down the length of the leg, moving to the right for the right foot and the left for the left. In the second part of the leg, there are four leaves following each other from the largest at the top to the smallest at the bottom. Flutes longing the length of the rest of the leg. These patterns are first hollowed and then filled in. This fireplace is accompanied by its symmetrical cast-iron interior that echoes the mantel's motifs. The center reuses the central pattern of the band formed by the acanthus leaves. In the hollow of the fireplace’s curves, a half-naked woman and a child are set in interlinked circles. These circles are themselves surrounded by intricate scrolls echoing the leaf motif.