Ref.9737
Antique cast iron fireback with De Jannel de Belval family coat of arms

Ref.14015
Japanese Half-Moon Display Cabinet, late 19th century

This Japanese-style half-moon display cabinet was made at the end of the 19th century. It is part of the Japonism trend that was then sweeping through European art. Two of its four legs are wrapped in gilded copper sheaths in the shape of lion’s paws, with their stylized upper ends reminiscent of the depiction of clouds or smoke in East Asian art. At the shelf level, fine openwork ornamentation also draws inspiration from East Asian motifs. The central body of the cabinet, still in a half-moon shape, is lined with red velvet fabric. The door is adorned with a small gilded bronze dragon breathing fire. It is topped by a tall, narrow display case crowned with a pagoda roof and a roaring gilded bronze dragon. Japonism emerged in the West under the influence of Japanese art, following Japan’s opening to the rest of the world and its participation in the 1867 Universal Exhibition. Painting, like the decorative arts, was transformed by contact with East Asian art, as evidenced by this delicate cabinet. In its style and the detail of its ornamentation, this piece of furniture can be associated with the production of the house of Perret & Vibert. Its lion’s paw-shaped legs, the fine openwork ornaments that are alternately geometric and curved, the small display case, and the fierce dragon crowning the piece are all indicators. This cabinet is, moreover, close to a display cabinet depicted in the sketchbooks of this prestigious house.