Ref.1679
Antique oak mantel from the 19th century

Large oak fireplace made during the early nineteenth century. Two slender jambs, decorated with half columns, support a wide entablature. A marble Red Griotte inlay is placed in the center of the entablature. The top of the entablature is decorated with coat of arms scattered with ermines.

Ref.2042
Antique Louis XV style fireplace in Red Griotte marble

This exquisite antique Louis XV style fireplace was made at the start of the 19th century out of Red Griotte marble.

Ref.10370
Important antique fireback with Jean Bouhier de Savigny coat of arms, first half of the 18th century

Importante and beautiful antique cast iron fireback with Jean Bouhier de Savigny coat of arms supported by two greyhounds. Made in the first half of the 18th century. Jean Bouhier de Savigny was President of Parliament of Burgundy since 1704. He was also a historian, translator, scholar and bibliophile. He resigned his post in Parliament in 1728 to devote himself to his historical and literary work following his election to the French Academy in 1727. He died in 1746. A similar fireback is kept at the Troyes Museum.

Ref.03166
The side table coming from an exceptional furniture set realized by Moses Michelangelo Guggenheim for the Palazzo Papadopoli in Venice, Italy

This superb side table identically replicates the lower part of the cabinet forming a credenza coming from the same set. The base consists of a background decorated with three rectangular molded panels. Their framing is composed of several moldings in relief, one which supports the display of a decorative vegetative frieze: stylized flowers, composed of two leaves and a flowering stem, coming to rest there. The shelf rests on two armored and winged lions carved in encrusted enamel. Their massive limbs are as impressive as their mouths. They are the result of an exceptional work of sculpture, rarely equaled. Each surface is the pretext for an abundance of carvings and ornaments. The quality of the sculpture is particularly noticeable in the representation of hairs and scales that cover their chests and extremely muscular necklines. One can thus observe each feather forming the wing, with the representation of the spine as the central stem of the feather. Each whisker of the plumage is visible, proving once again the delicacy of the sculpture. Similarly, the hairs are delicately represented, almost akin to the work of chiseling. The lions rest on a shelf fully supported by very large ball feet carved with a frieze of ovals. The rounded edge of the shelf is protruding and is again the support of the sculpted frieze. Plant motifs are enrolled in medallions and corners are occupied by acanthus leaves. The edge of the upper shelf is made in the same manner. However, it is only slightly curved and the carved frieze that unfolds is a series of interlacing.

Ref.3732
An antique Louis Xv style fireplace, Pompadour model, made out of Campan rubané marble

Antique Louis XV style fireplace, Pompadour model, made out of Campan Rubané marble in the 19th century. High decorative qualities for this marble.

Ref.15269
Émile HÉBERT, The Champion, circa 1890

The Champion was created by Émile Hébert around 1890. The sculptor Émile Hébert (Paris, 1828-1893) first learned sculpture from his father, Pierre Hébert (1804-1869), and then from Jean-Jacques Feuchère (1807-1852). He participated in the Salons, where he was particularly noticed in 1859, and in the World's Fairs. The Champion is a bronze statuette with a silver patina, depicting a victorious rower with a joyful expression, saluting an invisible crowd with his cap in his right hand while still holding an oar in his left hand. He is dressed in a sports jersey and knee-length pants. The long, slender lines of the skiff rest on waves still stirred by the movement of the boat. The plaque on the base indicates the title of the work: “Le Champion”. The skiff is one of the few rowing events that have always been part of the Olympic disciplines, although events have sometimes had to be canceled due to bad weather. Like a self-referential piece, The Champion can be a trophy intended to be awarded to the winner of a skiff race. This function is even clearer for another version of the sculpture sold by Coutau-Bégarie in 2019, whose base indicates that it is a trophy for the Coupe de Paris 1898, a competition held on the Seine that year. Hébert created at least one other sports-related work in his career: it is Bare-Knuckle Fight, also called The Boxers. This suite different work was sold by Coutau-Bégarie in 2021. It depicts the fight between two men, whose musculature and movements suggest the power of the blow delivered at that moment. Here, the men are in action, in the violence of the sporting effort. However, the sculpture does not require as much technical knowledge of the sport as the one representing the skiff.

Ref.15090
Gabriel VIARDOT, Japanese-Style Shelf Cabinet, late 19th Century

This shelf cabinet was crafted by Gabriel Viardot in the late 19th century. A talented wood sculptor, Gabriel Viardot opened a furniture workshop and store in Paris in 1853. In the 1870s, he decided to focus on “Chinese-Japanese style furniture”. He received prestigious awards at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris in 1878, 1889, and 1900, as well as a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Antwerp in 1884. This piece, serving as both a cabinet and a display stand, belongs to Viardot’s Sino-Japanese style production. Its four legs, shaped as stylized scrolls, support an asymmetrical structure. The lower left section features shelves inspired by Japanese “cha’dansu” (tea cabinets). It is adorned with a dragon seemingly weaving through a panel at the bottom, a recurring motif in Viardot’s work. At the top, the last shelf is supported by a delicate sculpture of a crane perched on a turtle. The right section consists of a cabinet on a stand, decorated with a panel showcasing rich low-relief carvings. Stylized flames and smoke swirls intertwine with highly realistic flowers. A Japanese panel from the Meiji era (1868-1912), depicting a basket of flowers, was included after a delicate cutting process. The small left side is adorned with Japanese maple leaves, while the right side features a flower. Gabriel Viardot’s signature can be found just below, on the lower crosspiece. A very similar version of this cabinet is depicted in an old sketchbook by the artist. Notably, the crane supporting the shelf and the tiered supports above the dragon on the left are present, although their orientation is reversed.