Ref.11825
Set of parquet panels of different wood species, from the 20th century

Set of square shaped parquet panels, made of three different wood species including walnut and oak. Dimensions of each panel 20,08 x 20,08 inch. The set consists of 40 full panels and 20 half panels. All this for a surface area of about 12 m2.

Ref.13025
Kai Nielsen (1882–1924) for Bing & Grøndahl “Bacchanale” table garniture in glazed stoneware

This table garniture, composed of eight glazed stoneware pieces, depicts a bacchanale, a celebration in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine and festivity. Each element bears the incised factory mark of Bing & Grøndahl and is signed “Kai Nielsen.” The rounded, contorted figures are characteristic of the artist’s style. The drunken and slumbering procession culminates in the figure of Silenus riding his donkey. A biscuit version of this composition is preserved in the Nationalmuseum (inv. NMK 39/1914). The quality of the finish is exceptional, and the color of the grapes creates a striking contrast with the natural stoneware-toned flesh. Nielsen’s intelligence and humor are evident in his choice of subject for a table garniture, transforming convivial excess into a refined decorative ensemble. Kai Nielsen trained in sculpture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts between 1902 and 1906. His career gained momentum in the 1910s following prestigious commissions: the Art Nouveau architect and designer Thorvald Bindesbøll commissioned a portrait bust; the city of Copenhagen entrusted him with the decoration of Blågårds Plads; and in 1921 the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek honored his work by installing a marble version of Water Mother in the museum’s atrium. In 2024, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek devoted a retrospective exhibition to his work.

Ref.16138
Polylobed work table with insects and butterflies

Set upon a triangular base in floral marquetry, three curved service-tree wood legs—whose form was only made possible after the adoption of the wood-bending techniques developed by the Viennese firm Thonet—cross elegantly to support a gracefully designed polylobed basket-shaped body. The curving sides of this basket are decorated with marquetry panels composed of various woods—amaranth, birch, East Indian ebony, maple, holly, and stained holly—where a dragonfly and a butterfly flutter among leafy branches. The polylobed lid, fitted with a mirror framed by a twisted moulding, opens to reveal an interior upholstered in raspberry-colored silk. The fully marqueted blooming flower on the top continues the same naturalistic and vegetal theme. At the three corners of the basket and running along the legs, patinated and painted bronze ornaments constitute one of the most distinctive aspects of the piece: hanging flowers, foliage, and a large grasshopper whose remarkable realism is heightened by the coloration of the bronzes, producing striking trompe-l’œil effects. This animal presence evokes the imagery of Japanese prints, then highly fashionable in Paris. The table thus brings together ideas from diverse sources: marquetry inherited from the 18th century, animal ornamentation close to the naturalistic sculpture of the second half of the 19th century, and a structural design derived from Viennese cabinetmaking. The composition anticipates certain developments of Art Nouveau. Several versions of this model are known, including one preserved at the Musée de l’École de Nancy and another at the Musée d’Orsay. The first version was presented hors concours at the Exposition Universelle of 1878. Service-tree wood legs; marquetry of various woods; patinated and painted bronzes; fabric and upholstery; mirror.