Ref.13946
A pedestal table with a very rare enamel decoration from the Rubelles faience factory

Our rosewood veneered pedestal table, with a top decorated with shading enamels of a beautiful deep green, is a truly exceptional piece. Made between 1842 and 1844, this enamel decoration is the work of the artistic earthenware factory of Rubelles, near Fontainebleau. Possibly withdrawn from the Exhibition of Commerce and Industrial Products in 1844, our pedestal table is the only example known to date. At the end of the 19th century, his creations were highly prized by connoisseurs who competed for them “at a high price”. They were compared to the most beautiful English porcelain. Very rare, this decoration is made of lithophanic earthenware, a technique developed by Baron de Bourgoing in association with Alexis du Tremblay, owner of the Château de Rubelles. Directors of the Rubelles Manufacture, the two partners exploited this original process for around fifteen years. It allows you to obtain transparency effects in porcelain. The drawings are rendered in gradients, from opaque shadows to very translucent lights.

Ref.12432
CHARBONNIER (cabinetmaker) for L’ESCALIER DE CRISTAL, Japonist Cabinet with Sliding Lacquer Panel, circa 1890

This significant cabinet in rosewood veneer was created for L’Escalier de Cristal after 1885. Founded around 1808 by the widow Désarnaud, the Escalier de Cristal was taken over by the brothers Georges and Henri Pannier at the end of the 19th century. They adapted to the vogue of Japonism while maintaining the high quality that made the store’s reputation. This cabinet is to be found in Henry Pannier’s notebooks, where it is recorded as having been made by the cabinetmaker Charbonnier; as such, it can be dated to around 1890, shortly after the Pannier took over the store. The design of this cabinet draws inspiration from Japanese architecture and furniture. It features a cabinet with a large Japanese lacquer panel adorned with gold floral and bird motifs. True to its primary inspiration, it does not open in the European manner but slides, referencing the interior walls of traditional Japanese houses. The frame is decorated with intricate woodwork, echoing East Asian ornamental vocabulary. It rests on a base with extending sides, featuring a heart-shaped crystal center encased in gilded bronze, which can be attributed to the work of Édouard Enot. Gilded bronze ornaments can also be found above the clawed feet and on the pediment. The use of lacquer to decorate furniture became popular in Europe as early as the late 16th century, following the first Jesuit missions to Asia and the creation of the East India Company. In the 18th century, the invention of Martin varnish allowed Europeans to imitate it effectively, particularly in furniture and interior decoration. However, the opening of Japan and the intensification of trade with the Far East in the latter half of the 19th century led to an influx of raw materials, enabling French cabinetmakers to incorporate more lacquer panels into their creations.