Ref.11349
Gabriel VIARDOT (attributed to) - Japanese style cupboard with dragon

This small walnut cabinet is attributed to Gabriel Viardot. The decor is quite characteristic of the production of this Parisian cabinetmaker specializing in Japanese and Chinese-style furniture. The lower part consists of multiple vertical boxes surmounted by three shelves. The upper part of this piece is decorated with latticed wood in the tradition of Japanese furniture. A gilded bronze dragon crowning this cupboard is entirely characteristic of the production of Gabriel Viardot. The vertical uprights are also decorated with gilded bronze elements that we can also find on other productions by Gabriel Viardot. Gabriel Viardot started his wood-sculpting career in 1849, when he sent some furniture pieces in natural décor to the horticultural exhibition. He then became the head of a small team of sculptors when he was just 19 years old. In 1853, he had a factory and a store of furniture located at 36 and 38 Rambuteau Road. During this time, he worked with his brother, Louis Gustave, under the name “Viardot Brothers and Company.” In 1860, he created his own workshop, “G. Viardot” at 5 Grand-Chantier road, and became head of the family business that he kept until 1872. He decided to devote himself to “Chinese-Japanese style furniture,” which he was able to observe mainly at the 1867 World Exposition. At this same exposition, he was awarded four medals. It’s with this production that he was awarded at the 1878 World Exposition with a silver medal. Following that, he practiced consecutively at 15 Chaume road, 3 Archives road in 1878 and 36 Amelot road near the end of the century. His furniture was produced thanks to lacquered and carved panels sent directly from China or Japan and decorated with mother of pearl inlays from Tonkin. He enlivened his furniture with bronze decorations, of which he made all the designs by hand. Over the course of the years, the success only continued to grow, particularly at the expositions of Nice and the 8th exposition of the Central Union of Decorative Arts in 1884. In 1885, he participated in the World Exposition of Antwerp where he obtained a gold medal. At this time, the shop employed 90 – 100 workers, sculptors or cabinetmakers, a lot of who were educated directly by Gabriel Viardot. Following this exposition, he was promoted to the rank of Knight in the Legion of Honor (December 29 1885). In 1889, he was at the World Exposition that took place in Paris and awarded a gold medal. He obtained the same award at the 1900 World Exposition.

Ref.11542
Canton porcelain cup with a beautiful gilt bronze mount, 19th century

This beautiful cup was made in the 19th century, it is composed of a Canton porcelain and a beautiful and rich gilt bronze mount. The Canton porcelain was destined to the exportation in the 19th century. They bear a characteristic decoration painted on a white background depicting large medallions or cartouches with palace scenes and natural decor with birds, plants and flowers motifs. The busy backgrounds use very often gold. Thus, we find on our porcelain some cartouches with life scenes inhabited by small characters in traditional outfits on a background composed of stylized black and red flowers. About the mount, it depicts a remarkable carved decor composed mainly of plante friezes on the foot. Two beautiful handles are spreading out in acanthus leaves come to flank both sides.

Ref.14795
SÈVRES Manufacture, Winner's cup from the 1878 Universal Exhibition

This porcelain tazza of the “Cybèle” model was created by the Sèvres manufacture in 1878 and decorated in 1919. The Vincennes manufacture, the predecessor of the Sèvres manufacture, was founded in 1740 by workers who defected from Chantilly. The Vincennes manufactory became royal in 1752, shortly before its transfer to Sèvres in 1756. It enjoyed increasing popularity in the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, continuing to this day. For the Universal Exhibition of 1878, the government commissioned the Manufacture de Sèvres to produce a set of sixty vases and one hundred and twenty bowls to reward exhibitors who had won first prizes. The tazza bears several marks under the base: the inscription “S 78” designates the year of manufacture within the manufactory’s workshops; the cartouche “Décoré à Sèvres / R.F. 1919” tells us the year the tazza was decorated. Thus, our model, left undecorated for forty-one years, could only be delivered in 1919 for reasons that remain unknown. Another Cybèle tazza with an identical decoration is exhibited at the Petit Palais museum in Paris.

Ref.15009
Conrad KIESEL (after), Japonist portrait of a woman wearing a kimono, circa 1880

This portrait of a European woman dressed in the manner of a Japanese woman, set against a Japonisant backdrop, was probably executed after a work by the German painter Conrad Kiesel, displaying the same features. Several copies of this work, executed like ours in oil painted on embossed leather, were however attributed to Franz Schier. Against a background of embossed leather decorated with motifs of flowers, butterflies (a symbol of eternity in Far Eastern cultures) and dragons, a woman with European features stands out, dressed in the Japanese manner: she wears a short-sleeved kimono (known as a tomesode) fastened by an obi (a wide Japanese sash) tied at the back. Her hair is arranged with a butterfly-shaped comb and chopsticks, and she holds a fan in her right hand. Her bracelet, however, owes more to Orientalism than to Japonisme. In the lower right corner, her legs appear caught in a bush of pink flowers, thus justifying the imbalance of her posture. The enthusiasm born in the second half of the nineteenth century, notably following the reopening of Japan to international trade and its participation in the 1867 Universal Exhibition, took the name of "Japonisme". It sparked a genuine revolution in Western art, strongly inspiring numerous artists across all fields. This work bears witness to the powerful influence of Japanese art on Western creations at the end of the nineteenth century, both in subject and in execution, notably in the deliberate absence of depth and perspective, tempered however by the presence of the flowers.

Ref.15810
Imposing Neo-Renaissance cabinet in walnut, marble, gilt bronze and hardstones, circa 1870

Important two-part cabinet crowned with a sculpted pediment, centered by a high-relief gilt bronze figure of a female allegory. The richly decorated façade features carved walnut panels framing gilt bronze plaques depicting female allegories and antique scenes, along with inlays of marble, hardstones, and red stone cabochons. Numerous finely chased bronze mounts also adorn the piece, showcasing motifs of cherubs, deities, and classical emblems. This ensemble is a remarkable example of 19th-century eclecticism inspired by the Italian Renaissance, combining luxurious materials with refined ornamentation.