Ref.2315
Antique Napoleon III style oak wood fireplace with ""JF"" initials

Large antique oak wood fireplace in the Napoleon III style from the second half of the 19th century. The straight lines of this antique fireplace are decorated with foilage carved in low relief. The central frieze is decorated with a medallion with the initials ""JF"".

Ref.3833
Antique cast iron stove in the Napoleon III style decorated with caryatids

Rare antique Napoleon III style stove made in the 19th century out of painted cast iron decorated with caryatids and a lion's head. The top is in Northern Red marble.

Ref.12074
Antique trumeau decorated with garlands of fruit

Antique trumeau circa 1900, carved in the upper part with garlands of fruit.

Ref.4515
Napoleon III walnut fireplace surmounted by an important alcove

This impressive fireplace made in walnut wood during the second half of the 19th century shows a very rich and eclectic decoration typical of the Second Empire's taste. Its rolled jambs are adorned with threatening lion faces with a mane finely chiseled, surmounting a large and spread acanthus leave. The straight entablature shows on its center an important rococo motif framed by flowers garlands. The fireplace supports a monumental alcove wich was much likely a setting for a scuplture. The opulent projection that is overlooking the alcove guards a big shell sculpted on the top, from where are escaping flowers garlands falling along the sides of the alcove.

Ref.4652
Large Regence style fireplace in Breccia Nouvelle marble, late 19th century

This large Regence style fireplace was made of Breccia Nouvelle marble in the late 19th century. Its entablature adorned with spandrels is underlined with an oblong moulding. It lays on sculpted jambs very lightely curved.

Ref.14654
Fountain center model "Fontana delle Tartarughe", XIX century

Fountain named after Pope Alexander VII, featuring at its center a triton surrounded at its feet by four basins representing seashells, resting on a base. On the latter, a dedication is inscribed, divided into four cartouches surrounded by motifs, placed between each basin. The triton is depicted kneeling, the body turned to the left, his left arm raised upwards, his right arm in the same position, the palm open to the sky. This posture suggests that originally he was supposed to hold an element in his two hands (a large bowl, perhaps?) adding another level to the fountain. On the pedestal, cartouches bear inscriptions in Latin, the translation of which can be provided as: "ANNO PONTIFIC IV ALEXANDER VII RESTAURAUIT ORNAVITQUE," which can be translated as: "In the 4th year of the pontificate, Alexander VII restored and adorned." Alexander VII (1599-1667) was Pope from 1655 until his death in 1667. The model of the fountain (the base) as well as the text inscribed in the cartouches closely resemble the Turtle Fountain in Rome, located in Piazza Mattei, the design of which was drawn by Giacomo della Porta in 1582, and the bronzes executed by Tadeo Landini, the whole completed in 1585. The figures were originally supposed to hold dolphins in their hands, but these were never placed on the fountain due to water pressure. In 1658, during the pontificate of Alexander VII, the existing fountain was restored and transformed, with the addition of turtles, which are believed to have been sculpted by Bernini. Bibliography : Steven Ostrow, "Collecting Copies of 'the most charming fountain in Rome'. Taddeo Landini's Fontana delle Tartarughe".

Ref.5233
Louis XVI style mantel in Rouge du Nord marble

Ref.14985
Louis XVI-style gilded trumeau with pearl decoration

Ref.15115
Louis XVI style trumeau decorated with a laurel wreath

Ref.5690
Napoleon III style mantel in carved oak

Ref.15609
Jacques Louis KESSLER, Pair of Vases Engraved with Greek Revival Decor Using the “Kessler” Process, mid-19th century

This pair of vases, crafted in the 19th century, was made using a technique developed by engineer Jacques Louis Kessler in 1855 and patented in 1858. The decoration of these two vases, made of double-layered crystal (blue on the outside and transparent on the inside), was achieved using Kessler’s engraving process. This innovative method utilized alkaline fluorides mixed with acids and a system of stencils, allowing for an immediate contrast between a bright, colored design and a matt background. The Baccarat crystal manufacturer later acquired exclusive rights to this patented process, which brought them widespread acclaim during the 1867 Paris Exhibition. These baluster-shaped vases feature neo-Greek ornamentation, alternating between blue-toned designs and matt crystal. Their clean, elegant lines are accented by several ornamental blue crystal bands. The decoration is composed of three primary scenes: the first depicts two combatants. The second portrays a winged Victory holding a palm in one hand while crowning a resting warrior with laurel in the other; the warrior stands before her. The third depicts three figures: a woman playing the lyre for a king holding a long scepter, with a young ephebe standing behind him. The scenes are separated by depictions of weapon trophies. The iconography draws inspiration from scenes commonly found on ancient Greek vases, while emphasizing the fluidity of the figures’ movements and features. Each vase rests on a circular mount supported by four spheres, with one vase bearing the number “2” engraved under its base. When Baccarat acquired the rights to Kessler’s technique, the company used it to create similar pieces, incorporating this innovative method into its repertoire. At the 1867 Paris Exhibition, Baccarat showcased a celestial blue crystal punch bowl and matching glasses engraved using this process; this set is now housed at the Corning Museum of Glass. The Galerie Marc Maison also presents an elegant neo-Greek vase made using the same technique (reference 15013). Due to Baccarat’s early acquisition of Kessler’s patent, vases like ours remain rare examples of the exceptional quality of pieces produced before the patent transfer, representing some of the earliest works created using Kessler’s revolutionary innovation.

Ref.5960
Louis XVI style fireplace in Carrara marble with sunflowers

Ref.5981
Louis XVI style fireplace in Carrara marble, decorated with pearls and macaroons

This straight fireplace, crafted in the 19th century from white Carrara marble with grey veining, is characteristic of the Louis XVI style through its balanced proportions and refined decorative elements. The central projection of the panel features a symmetrical frieze composed of medallions delicately sculpted in low relief, arranged on a smooth background. This decoration is framed by fine linear moldings and a beaded frieze, emphasizing the geometry of the whole. The straight jambs display a vertical alternation of narrow fluted grooves with rudentures. Within these grooves, the ornamentation is distinguished by finely sculpted asparagus motifs, whose soft relief tempers the strictness of the design. The jambs rest on molded bases. The mantel shelf, of great sobriety, follows the rhythm of the panel with a slight central projection. It is molded with a simple cavetto, without excessive overhang. The fireplace comes with a cast iron interior, decorated with diamond patterns framed by rosettes, arranged in symmetrical panels. The ensemble reflects a precise craftsmanship, typical of 19th-century creations inspired by the neoclassical decorative vocabulary.

Ref.16122
Philippe-Joseph Brocard (1831-1896), Oriental-style bowl, signed under the base.

This Oriental-style bowl is the work of Philippe-Joseph Brocard (1831-1896), a Belgian glass artist and enameller. Brocard began his career as an antique restorer and developed a passion for the masterpieces of Mamluk glassmaking. He was among the first glassmakers to popularize Orientalism in the glass arts. Through his research, he rediscovered a technique for applying gold and polychrome enamel to glass dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, used in Islamic art. He did not patent this technique until 1891. The quality of the execution of the bowl and its decoration is exceptionally refined. The oriental-inspired motifs of the upper register form a frieze of interlaced foliage in copper tones against a gold background. On the body, floral motifs on clear glass lend lightness to the whole. The curved, hot-applied glass feet demonstrate excellent technical skill. Signed beneath the base, this exquisitely crafted object seems to have stepped straight out of a tale from the Arabian Nights.

Ref.6312
Louis XVI style fireplace with rounded corners and decorated with a laurel wreath, in Carrara marble