Ref.10701
Julien-Nicolas RIVART (1802-1867) - Chiffonier Secretary desk in wood and porcelain marquetry Decorated of blooming roses

This chiffonier secretary desk is lavishly adorned of gilt bronze, wood marquetry as well as flowers in porcelain inlays by Julien-Nicolas Rivart . The latter is the inventor of the porcelain marquetry technique, a unique process, searched for a long time and patented in 1849, he was the only one to master. We have here a fine example of these rare decorations with a bouquet of roses and yellow daisies, on a rosewood background. It is framed by the wood marquetry covering the entire piece, a more classical design but of exceptional quality.

Ref.11352
Maison des Bambous Alfred PERRET et Ernest VIBERT (attributed to) - Japanese style embroidered silk screen

The production of this large sculpted wood screen of far-eastern inspiration is attributed to the Maison des Bambous de Perret et Vibert. Made of four panels, it is crowned by a latticed wood frieze where a small menacing dragon strolls. The body of the screen is finely decorated. Some finely represented birds frolic among luxurious vegetation where different kinds of flowers are depicted. Little known until now, the Maison des Bambous is however of a large importance in the history of Japanese furniture. Founded just before 1879 by Alfred Perret at 30 Quatre-Septembre road in Paris, the Maison des Bambous first specialized in the production of “luxury wicker, bamboo furniture and planters.” It was only around 1880 that Alfred Perret appeared in the Didot-Bottin while making furniture. We can therefore place the beginning of the making of Far-Eastern inspired furniture to this time. In 1882, Alfred Perret moved his store to number 33 Quatre-Septembre road, where the company’s headquarters remained until its closure. It was only a little later, in 1886 that Alfred Perret joined with his own son, named Vibert. The company was then able to grow dramatically and became a supplier of world leaders in France and abroad. The Duc of Montmorency, Princess Mathilde, Empress Eugenie and King George I of Greece were among their loyal customers. From 1889, the company participated in the World Exposition where it would be noticed. It was only in 1894 that the company took the name that we now know, the Maison des Bambous. It grew again significantly, until it had a branch at 170 Haussman Boulevard starting in the early 20th century. The Maison des Bambous still had successful days ahead and did not close permanently until 1994.

Ref.12039
Etienne Maurice FALCONET (from) - Venus removing Cupid's quiver, in Carrara marble

Sculpture in white Carrara marble representing Venus removing Cupid's quiver, from Etienne Maurice Falconet, signature of the founder F. BARBEDIENNE editor.

Ref.11427
Gabriel Viardot (attributed to), Japanese table with bones birds marquetery, circa 1870-1880

This japanese table, made of tainted sycamore in the last decades of the 19th century, is attributed to the Parisian furniture maker Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906), specialized in the creation of Chinese and Japanese inspired furntiure. It's during the 1867 World Fair where he discovered the Japanese Art, the Gabriel Viardot decided to devote himself to “Chinese-Japanese style furniture”. It’s with this production that he was awarded a silver medal at the World's Fair of 1878. His furniture was produced thanks to lacquered and carved panels sent directly from China or Japan and decorated with mother of pearl inlays from Tonkin. He enlivened his furniture with bronze decorations, of which he made all the designs by hand. In 1885, he participated in the World Exhibition of Antwerp where he obtained a gold medal. At this time, the shop employed 90 – 100 workers, sculptors or cabinetmakers, a lot of who were educated directly by Gabriel Viardot. Following this exhibition, Gabriel Viardot was promoted to the rank of Knight in the Legion of Honor (December 29 1885). In 1889, he was at the World Exhibition that took place in Paris and awarded a gold medal. He obtained the same award at the World's Fair of 1900. The furniture maker is making here, a very beautiful table of which the shape and the decors are inspired by the Far East esthetic. The slab with enrolled edges is adorned on its central part with an important inlaid decoration of bones depicting birds on cherry tree branches. It rests on a very worked foot receiving a carved and open work decor as bronze pieces with high quality carving, typical of the furniture maker's work. The feet with sharp claws sculpted in the wood support on their middle an open work strut.

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.

Ref.11379
Gabriel Viardot (attributed to) - Japanese style bed with mother-of-pearl marquetery

This bed was made of tainted sycamore in the late 19th century in the taste of Gabriel Viardot or Maison des Bambous production. The bed is surmounted by a canopy with sculpted japanese motifs of which one of the mount in adorned with a coiled cherry tree branch. the headboard shows a sculpted decoration of bird in a flowered branched surrounding and mother-of-pearl motifs of flowers and foliages. The foodboard shows a cared decoration of plants and clouds, a dragon in relief and mother-of-pearl and bone marquetery.

Ref.14790
BOCH Brothers (ceramic), Th. FUMIETE (?), Portrait of a Japanese Lady in Earthenware, 1890

This portrait of a Japanese lady dated 1890 bears the signature, possibly apocryphal, of a certain Th. Fumiete, whom our research has not been able to trace. He worked for Boch frères, whose mark is visible on the reverse of the tiles. The Boch family began producing ceramics in 1748. However, the “Boch Frères” company was only founded in 1844, after many moves, by Eugène and Victor Boch and their brother-in-law Jean-Baptiste Nothomb. Between then and 1881, Victor Boch was at the helm, with engineer Charles Tock taking over until 1904. The assembled ceramic tiles form a large decorative panel. The woman, with her long black hair held back by several sticks behind her head, looks ahead, her head slightly tilted to the side. She is dressed in a kimono with a rich and colorful floral design over a tunic that closes tightly at the neck. She places her right hand on the wide belt (“obi”) that wraps around her. The decorative background is sprinkled with Japanese maple leaves. A primary decorative border adorned with stylized plant motifs (some resembling papyrus leaves) highlights the central figure. The entire piece is set in a wooden frame carved in bas-relief with similarly stylized plant motifs forming scrolls. The enthusiasm that arose in the second half of the 19th century, notably following Japan’s reopening to international trade and its participation in the 1867 Universal Exposition, became known as “Japonism”. This sparked a revolution in Western art, strongly inspiring many artists across all fields. This piece demonstrates the strong influence of Japanese art on Western creations at the end of the 19th century, both in subject and execution (the deliberate absence of depth and the use of flat colors are characteristic of Japanese prints). This work, beyond its intrinsic aesthetic qualities, is emblematic of this movement and reflects the enthusiasm aroused by Japanese works, objects, and even lifestyle among Westerners at the end of the 19th century. The ceramic is original. The design on three tiles has undergone a previous high-quality restoration. The signature has also been restored, suggesting it may be inaccurate.