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My selection
(5 Objects)

My selection (5 Objects)


Louis MAJORELLE (attr.to), Tea table with a Vernis Martin decoration, circa 1880-1890

Ref.13629
Louis MAJORELLE (attr.to), Tea table with a Vernis Martin decoration, circa 1880-1890

Showing a classical shape for this type of saloon furnishings, the great originality of this table is in its decoration, made out of Vernis Martin. This technic was invented in the 18th century by the Martin brothers, who wanted to imitate the Japanese and Chinese lacquers, at a time when these were really rare in Occident. After a relative disinterest during the first half of the 19th century, the technic went fashionable again, with the advent of the Far East trend and the furniture by Louis Majorelle (1859-1926). Apart from the lacquer, the decorative patterns adorning the two boards are alluding to the Chinese and Japanese repertoire : on the upper board, a bird is taking off holding in its beak an insect in a lake background with reeds and beautiful flowers. The lower board is decorated in the same spirit, with also a lake background in which we can see a flying wader with a tit. Louis Majorelle was born in 1859. At this time, his father was already a ceramicist and a maker for lacquered furniture. His business consisted in adorning furniture in the technic of Vernis Martin and to inspire himself from Far East motifs. The masterpiece by Auguste Majorelle is a grand piano, now owned by the Musée de l’Ecole in Nancy. Made by the Mangeot Company from Nancy, this grand piano was exhibited at the 1878 World’s Fair. Auguste Majorelle died soon after, and his son, Louis, perpetuated his work, creating lacquered, Japanese-inspired furniture, some exhibited at the 1889 World’s Fair.

Dimensions:
Width: 85 cm
Height: 82 cm
Depth: 57 cm

GABRIEL VIARDOT (attr. to) - Bedroom furniture composed of a wardrobe  and a bed in tinted sycamore

Ref.11387
GABRIEL VIARDOT (attr. to) - Bedroom furniture composed of a wardrobe and a bed in tinted sycamore

This Japanese bedroom furniture is composed of a bed and a wardrobe. It was very likely made by the leader of the Japonisme in France, the furniture maker Gabriel Viardot (1830-1904), circa 1870-1880. This attribution is allowed because of the high making quality of the furniture and by stylistic comparison to other signed pieces of drawn in the archives sketchbook. Gabriel Viardot starts his career in the Jeanselme furniture workshop, furnisher of the Napoleon III court, before starting his own as a wood sculptor in 1849. He was then already the head of a small sculptors team even though he was only 19 years old. He opens in 1853, a workshop and a wood furniture and decorative objets shop located on the 36 and 38 rue Rambuteau in Paris. At this time, Gabriel works with his brother, Alexandre-Laurent, under the company name “Viardot Frère & Cie”. Seven years later, in 1860, he creates his own workshop « G. Viardot », on the 5 rue du Grand-Chantier, and takes the direction of the family business until 1872. He decides then to dedicate his production to the Chinese-Japanese furniture that he had observed during the 1867 World Fair. His characteristic furniture production was made with lacquered panel sent directly from China or Japan, often adorned with Tonkin mother of pearl inlays. The furniture were next lightened up with decorative bronzes of which the models were created by himself. Gabriel Viardot participates to many exhibitions that mark the artistic scenes of the second half of the 19th century. Each participation was successful, indeed, he wins in the 1878 World Fair a silver medal, then in 1855 in Antwerp and in Paris in 1889 and 1900 gold medals. He also participated to the exhibitions of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs where he is in a class of his own and jury member from 1884. In the middle of the 1880’s, his company employed between 90 and 100 furniture makers and sculptors trained by himself. He also employs almost 20 subcontractors. From 1890, he creates furniture models for the famous decorative arts and furniture company, l’Escalier de Cristal. Indeed, we can read on Henry Pannier’s notebooks, the Viardot name associated to the description of some furniture. Viardot organizes his succession on the 26thDecembre 1890 by creating the "G. Viardot et Cie", company in which he associates his two children. When he dies in 1906, they take the direction of the workshop. The wardrobe is adorned on its pediment, reminding the roof of the pagoda, with a beautiful projecting sculpture of flowered cherry tree branch that we call « sakura » in Japanese. The center of the wardrobe shows a large rectangular mirror framed by two asymmetric unit shelves above cartouches adorned with branches of bamboo in slight relief. The wardrobe’s whole receive a carved and in relief decoration belonging to the Asian iconography. We find some of these typical elements on different model in the furniture maker drawings archives. Indeed, we can notice the stylized spiral feet, the branches decors on the panels and the open worked decoration on the superior right angle of the mirror. The bed is also adorned with a very rich sculpted and carved decoration with Asian inspiration depicting plants, interlacing, flowers and fantastic animals. The foot board shows a very beautiful medallion sculpted with high relief flowers on the center and statues of Foo dogs on the mounts. The headboard is adorned with a beautiful sculpted dragon and surmounted by a canopy with geometric motifs in frieze. The presence of the canopy is quite habitual in the Viardot’s beds production as shown the archives drawings. On the model here, we can also see the presence of the dragon on the header board.

Dimensions:
Width: 155 cm
Height: 255 cm
Depth: 225 cm

Alphonse GIROUX (in the manner of), Bamboo Decorated Gueridon, first half of the 19th century

Ref.14968
Alphonse GIROUX (in the manner of), Bamboo Decorated Gueridon, first half of the 19th century

This gueridon with bamboo decor was made in the spirit of Alphonse Giroux during the first half of the 19th century. In the late 1790s, Alphonse Giroux (1775/76–1848) established a store selling artistic supplies and small objects at 7 Rue Coq-Saint-Honoré in Paris. He collaborated with artists and had a strong influence on the design of the items he sold. His shop catered to a highly distinguished clientele, including kings Louis XVIII and Charles X. In 1833, his sons, André (1801–1879) and Alphonse-Gustave (1809–1886), joined the business; under Alphonse-Gustave’s influence, the store began to create small furniture pieces like the one in question. André and Alphonse-Gustave took over the business in 1838 and remained at its helm until 1867, when it was taken over by Ferdinand Duvinage (1813–1876) and two associates. This small table rests on four legs crafted to imitate bamboo stalks. Each protrusion marking the height of the legs is accentuated by a gilt bronze element, itself mimicking bamboo, like a mise en abyme. The gueridon has three tiers. Two of these intermediate tiers are arranged around a circle connecting the four legs, bordered by two fine golden bamboo rods. The center is occupied by a stretcher of partially frosted glass, as if surrounded by lace and sprinkled with small flowers. The top tier features decoration that also plays on transparency – and the absence of transparency – though in a more complex manner: the center is marked by a circle adorned with a frieze of garlands; on the outside, the floral motif from the lower levels reappears, itself encircled by a delicate frieze of flowers and leaves; lace transitions to the bamboo, then to two wood veneers linking the four gilded bronze caps crowning the table’s legs. A fine gilt bronze interlacing crowns the piece. The bamboo motif was used in decorative arts from the late 18th century, which explains its presence in this period. It also returned to fashion at the end of the 19th century, aligning both with the taste for revival furniture and the vogue for Japonism. The designer of this piece offers a particularly refined and delicate interpretation of the bamboo motif with this gueridon, following in the tradition of prestigious 18th-century cabinetmakers and anticipating the trend for East Asian-inspired arts to come.

Dimensions:
Height: 82 cm