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My selection
(5 Objects)

My selection (5 Objects)


Maison GIROUX and Ferdinand DUVINAGE - Exceptional and rare cup with waders with iridescent glass and electroplated decor, circa 1870-1880

Ref.12893
Maison GIROUX and Ferdinand DUVINAGE - Exceptional and rare cup with waders with iridescent glass and electroplated decor, circa 1870-1880

This cup made in the 1870-1880’s by the maison Giroux, as indicates the signature on the mount, is a piece extremely rare because of the material used. Indeed, few models with iridescent glass are known today. The Japanese inspiration of the decor and the model of our cup indicate that it is a creation of Ferdinand Duvinage who takes the direction of the maison Giroux between 1867 and 1876, then taken by his widow when he dies. This store which was originally selling all kind of supplies and small objects such as paints, varnishes, albums, writing-papers, fans, toys, boxes and souvenirs, but also lithographs, drawings and watercolors, considerably developed in the first decades of the 19th century. First, because they count among the clients, important persons such as the Duchesse de Berry, Louis XVIII or even Charles X, then by the drive given by Alphonse Giroux’s sons who joined the firm in 1833. Thus, Alphonse-Gustave Giroux, the eldest son, had the idea to sell small furniture. Even though he was an artist himself, he worked like furniture dealers of the 18th century, with artists who did not have the right to put their signature and exerted a hold over the design of the creation that he chose. He also decided to move the store in the new Opera district on the corner of the 43 boulevard des Capucines and the 24 rue Neuve des Capucines in 1855. On this same year, the company which had already won medals for the quality of its production during previous events, sells during the World Fair, to the Impress Eugénie, a bonheur du jour, conserved today in the château de Compiègne. In 1867, the store direction is given to Ferdinand Duvinage, Harinkouck and Brune. Little things are known about Harinkouck and Brune who seem to have been associated for a short period of time as Duvinage remains the only one in 1874. Ferdinand Duvinage (1813-1876) who seems to be cousin with Alphonse-Gustave Giroux, joins the company during a few years before taking its direction, without changing the name. He files in 1874, 1876 and 1877 patents for a marquetry technique of mosaic with metallic partitioning for furniture and art objects. His method is really original because it involves the combined union of ivory as a base, wood for the designs or ornaments, and copper or other metal to partitioning the ivory fragments. The firm continues to participate to World Fairs where they win many medals, even though they are not that much mentioned by the critics, we know that the productions with the Japanese vocabulary created under the direction of Duvinage were also very appreciated and were a real commercial success.

Dimensions:
Width: 27 cm
Height: 17 cm
Depth: 23 cm

François-Désiré FROMENT-MEURICE, Silver, Agate and Malachite Tazza Decorated with a Rich Maritime Design, 1853

Ref.14918
François-Désiré FROMENT-MEURICE, Silver, Agate and Malachite Tazza Decorated with a Rich Maritime Design, 1853

This splendid cup with a marine decor was created by François-Désiré Froment-Meurice in 1853. The son of a modest goldsmith who died shortly after his birth, François-Désiré Froment-Meurice took over the goldsmith manufacturing business of his stepfather, Pierre-Jacques Meurice, in 1828; a few years later, he also inherited that of a jeweler and goldsmith merchant. At the 1839 Exhibition of Industrial Products, Froment-Meurice already bore the title of “goldsmith jeweler of the city of Paris”. His highly acclaimed exhibition earned him a double silver medal in goldsmithing and jewelry. At the 1844 Exhibition of Industrial Products, he was awarded a gold medal. His inspiration was eclectic, and the techniques and materials used were varied (hard stones, enamel, niello, repoussé…). Among other things, he exhibited commissions from the city of Paris, a chalice intended for the pope, and the Harvest Cup acquired by the Duke of Montpensier. At the 1849 exhibition, he received a gold medal recall; notably, the table centerpiece commissioned by the Duke of Luynes and the first elements of the dressing table intended for the Duchess of Parma, designed by Duban, were particularly admired. The entire dressing table (table, mirror, candelabra, caskets) was presented in London at the Great Exhibition of 1851, where its virtuosity ensured Froment-Meurice’s triumph. The goldsmith died, at the height of his glory, shortly before the 1855 World’s Fair. At his death, his son succeeded him and later became one of the most brilliant goldsmiths of the Second Empire. This cup, combining malachite veneer, partially gilded and enameled chiseled silver, and moss agate, was created precisely at the end of his career. It fits perfectly into his production of extremely refined small objects. Four turtle-shaped feet support a malachite veneered base using the so-called “Russian mosaic” technique. From this base rises the silver stem, whose abundant and delicate decor forms the very structure. At the base, on a bed of aquatic plants, a cupid brandishing a trident set with a pearl subdues a sea monster. Above, aquatic plants also hosting pearls flourish, culminating in a motif of reeds supporting the moss agate cup. The delicacy of the silver chiseling is matched only by the subtlety of its color variations. The whole piece echoes the artist’s taste for 16th-century goldsmithing. Eclecticism and historicism indeed hold a privileged place in his work. Froment-Meurice created another equally precious cup, also inspired by Renaissance goldsmithing. This is the so-called “Harvest Cup”, now kept at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Dimensions:
Width: 11 cm
Height: 20 cm
Depth: 10 cm