Ref.1603
Antique hooded fireplace made out of Sea Green marble with Red Griotte marble

Louis XIV style fireplace with an unusual design, an acroterion shape with two embedded Red Griotte marble panels flanking a medallion. A Bolection molding surrounds the hearth opening, typical of the Louis XIV style. The hearth is equally framed by a succession of subtle moldings. The effect of the two colored marbles is very striking.

Ref.11220
Pair of gilt bronze and blue and pink porcelain chandeliers dating from the Napoleon III reign

This pair of Napoleon III chandeliers in porcelain and gilt bronze was crafted in France around 1860. Each chandelier is centered around a porcelain stem, one in pink and the other in turquoise blue. From the lower level, sixteen light arms extend, following the seemingly irregular and asymmetrical curves of remarkably chiseled acanthus leaves that adorn them. The ornamentation ends at the lower part with a delicate gilt bronze pendant featuring four small flowers in relief. The differences in levels among the light fixtures, and the ornamentation with curves and counter-curves, belong to the Rocaille style, which was popular in the first part of Louis XV's reign (1723-1774). However, the curved shapes of the central porcelain shaft only appeared during the reign of Charles X (1824-1830). Thus, these objects fit perfectly into the decorative arts trends under Napoleon III (1852-1870).

Ref.14591
Émile GALLÉ, Jardiniere with a design inspired by the nature of Pharaonic Egypt, circa 1879-1890

This ceramic jardinière, with a design inspired by the natural world of ancient Egypt, was created by Émile Gallé in the late 19th century. Considered the founding father of Art Nouveau, Émile Gallé (1846-1904) took over the manufactory established by his father and gave it a decisive new direction, which he sustained throughout his life with his ever-renewed creativity. Ancient Egypt and its culture were among his favored sources of inspiration, as evidenced by this work. The artist selected two complementary colors, brown and blue, to structure the piece and give it a distinct harmony. The blue forms faux drips over the brown, perhaps evoking the Nile’s floods that fertilized Egyptian soil. The brown background features reed stems, reed flowers, and papyrus blooms. A flying scarab with wings resembling those of a bird references the god Khepri, the manifestation of the rising sun. The entire design is enhanced with gold accents. A similar piece in shape but featuring a Japanese-inspired design was sold at auction by Tajan in Paris in 2013. The Egyptian inspiration in this piece is also echoed in a jardinière shaped like a falcon housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. In that work, Gallé also incorporated designs of reeds and papyrus, as well as a flying scarab with large falcon-like wings.

Ref.15009
Conrad KIESEL (after), Japonist portrait of a woman wearing a kimono, circa 1880

This portrait of a European woman dressed in the manner of a Japanese woman, set against a Japonisant backdrop, was probably executed after a work by the German painter Conrad Kiesel, displaying the same features. Several copies of this work, executed like ours in oil painted on embossed leather, were however attributed to Franz Schier. Against a background of embossed leather decorated with motifs of flowers, butterflies (a symbol of eternity in Far Eastern cultures) and dragons, a woman with European features stands out, dressed in the Japanese manner: she wears a short-sleeved kimono (known as a tomesode) fastened by an obi (a wide Japanese sash) tied at the back. Her hair is arranged with a butterfly-shaped comb and chopsticks, and she holds a fan in her right hand. Her bracelet, however, owes more to Orientalism than to Japonisme. In the lower right corner, her legs appear caught in a bush of pink flowers, thus justifying the imbalance of her posture. The enthusiasm born in the second half of the nineteenth century, notably following the reopening of Japan to international trade and its participation in the 1867 Universal Exhibition, took the name of "Japonisme". It sparked a genuine revolution in Western art, strongly inspiring numerous artists across all fields. This work bears witness to the powerful influence of Japanese art on Western creations at the end of the nineteenth century, both in subject and in execution, notably in the deliberate absence of depth and perspective, tempered however by the presence of the flowers.

Ref.5002
Napoleon III style mantel decorated with garlands of flowers carved in wood