Ref.11484
Gabriel VIARDOT (attributed to) - Set of two dragon chairs

Two walnut armchairs tinted and carved with straight backs whose realization is attributed to cabinet maker Gabriel Viardot in the late 19th century. The top rail of the back is surmounted by an elongated dragon carved in the round. These armchairs rest on slightly arched feet and joined by a rail with openwork decoration. Carved decorations, on the top of the feet and on the sides of armrests, stylized interlacing. For one of the two armchairs, the armrests are decorated with protomes of dragons and the feet are terminated by claws.

Ref.11365
Japanese furniture with carved decoration and mother-of-pearl inlay

Inspired by the decors and motifs coming from the Far-East, this piece has a slightly asymmetrical composition in style with the French producers in the beginning of the Meiji Era. While the upper part is perfectly balanced and symmetrical, the lower part is made up of two unsymmetrical elements, a window and a cabinet closed by a very elaborate panel, with a textured background and engraved patterns. The latter, skewed, contributes to the relative deconstruction of this piece and surprises the viewer. The sculpted dragon in low-relief on this panel echoes the chimeras with monstrous heads depicted on the vertical uprights in the upper part. The cabinet is a major decorative element of this piece. Painted with a naturalistic decor in enamel, some motifs are produced in mother of pearl. Indeed in several places this piece is garnished with mother of pearl elements engraved and inlaid in the wood. If the piece itself is a french production, this is not the case of the mother of pearl elements, coming from Chinese provinces and taken from preexisting furniture pieces or decorative panels. If at present it is not possible for us to exactly identify the maker of this piece, we can affirm that it is a French production, greatly inspired by the works of Gabriel Viardot and of the Maison des Bambous of Perret and Vibert.

Ref.13320
Louis XVI style trumeau with an allegory of Love in sculpted and gilt wood

This large trumeau was made in the late 19th century of sculpted and gilt wood. The mirror underlined with friezes of pearls is surmounted by a decoration in a slight relief depicting an allegory of Love. In a set of laurel branches, two birds, standing on a torch and a quiver, are kissing each other.

Ref.15031
Charles Stanislas MATIFAT, Persian double-sided pendulum from the London Universal Exhibition of 1851

Made for the European and Ottoman-Persian market, our clock bears the signature of Charles Stanislas Matifat and the date 1851. Matifat is considered one of the most notable Parisian art founders of the mid-19th century. His clocks, vases, chandeliers, fountains and decorative objects were renowned for their precision, refinement and careful finishes. The model of our pendulum was presented in the French section of the Universal Exhibition in London in 1851. Matifat's stand was located in the heart of the famous Crystal Palace and aroused great admiration from the press and the Exhibition jury. Richly ornamented, evoking Persian decorative arts, this creation presents the qualities of a piece of goldwork. It offers two white enamel dials. This feature makes it possible to display both European time (that of Paris or London) and time in Turkish numerals. At this time, Matifat invented a process of vitreous enamel on bronze, which allowed him to create decorations of great finesse. Matifat is known for his decorative art pieces, appreciated by Charles Garnier, but he also cast monumental sculptures by Carpeaux and Frémiet.