Ref.4340
Remarkable and monumental Flemish Neo-Renaissance style fireplace, second half of the 19th century

This monumental fireplace was made in Belgian Petit Granit in the second half of the 19th century inspired by the Flemish Renaissance art answering the revival vogue of this period. Our fireplace shows a very rich sculpted decor and gilt bronze ornamentation. The curved jambs are sculpted with large fluted scrolls surmounted by bronze capitals with arabesque decoration. Ths sides are also adorned with a beautiful sculpted decor of acanthus leaves scrolls and roses. The jambs are holding a large entablature made of Brèche Sanguine, the Petit Granit console architectural elements form the pattern of its decor that keeps going on each side. Six of them are adorned with a standing lion, the mouth opened and holding between his paws a shield, they support a large moulding cornice decorated with an acanthus leaves frieze. The entablature is also adorned with four painted medallions depicting portraits in bronze frames and a romantic scene flanked by two stylized dolphins in scrolls decoration. Many stylized fleur-de-lys are decorating the cast iron insert framed by a gilt bronze openwork frieze surmounted on its center by a bronze dragon in haut-relief. The cast iron fireback depicts a salamander in flames that we can compare to the emblem of Francis I, famous king of the French Renaissance.

Ref.13641
Series of Ionic pilasters in sculpted and painted wood

This series of 14 sculpted wood pilasters is a work coming from a paneled room date from the 19th century. The fluted pilasters are adorned with asparagus heads and Ionic capitales with laurel leaves, daisy and ovum frieze. The fluted pilaster are adorned with aspargus heads and Ionic capitales with laurel leaves, daisy and ovum frieze. We join other elements from the same paneled room.

Ref.14931
BACCARAT crystalworks, La Vague Inkwell, 1909

The crystal factory designed this inkwell in molded and reworked crystal decorated with gilded bronze elements, testimony to the alliance between glass work and that of bronze workers specializing in decorative art. The crystal takes the form of a hollowed wave, at the top of which rests a gilded bronze mermaid; her wavy hair highlights the nudity of her body, in a languid and sensual pose. Founded under Louis XV, the French crystal factory Baccarat demonstrated its excellence and creativity at Universal Exhibitions throughout the 19th century. The two ink reservoirs are fully in keeping with the maritime theme: they take the shape of a shell and a fishing basket, surrounded by swirling seaweed. This masterpiece of Art Nouveau was exhibited during the International Exhibition of Eastern France, in Nancy, in 1909. It testifies to the influence of Japanese arts on Western artists, notably La Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. The “La Source” inkwell, created by Paul Aubé in 1898, served as a source of inspiration for “La Vague”, eleven years later. The latter is more significant of the influence of Far Eastern arts.

Ref.5529
Neo-Renaissance style mantel in carved walnut wood adorned with a salamander

Ref.5631
GODIN, Cast Iron Stove with Art Nouveau Floral Decor, 19th-20th Century

This cast iron stove, adorned with enamelled ceramics and metal plates painted with a floral design, is by the brand Godin. Resting on four feet, its openwork enamelled decor extends over almost the entire surface. Its two shorter sides are adorned with painted metal plates featuring an Art Nouveau floral design reminiscent of the works of painter Alphonse Mucha at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. At the top, the cover features delicate openwork ornamentation. One of the stove’s feet is broken. A latch is missing. The decorative front plate is missing.

Ref.15416
Russian Silversmith, Pair of Silver Candlesticks, circa 1832-1850

This pair of Russian candlesticks was crafted by a Saint Petersburg silversmith between approximately 1832 and 1850. Although the silversmith’s mark, a “PS” in Cyrillic, is not listed, the two assayers responsible for verifying the quality and purity of precious metals, Alexander Mor (active between 1831 and 1854) and Dmitry Tvyersko (active between 1832 and 1850), help date the objects. The date stamp being erased makes it impossible to refine the dating further. The two candlesticks are made of 84 zolotniks silver, meaning 875/1000 fineness. Their decor, in a Nordic style, is stylized. The circular base is adorned with a frieze of pearls topped by four small winged mythical creatures. Between each, geometric interlacing leads to a single foot. This baluster-shaped foot is decorated with battles of aquatic monsters, some resembling stylized crocodiles. The two arms of light support nozzles adorned with openwork interlacing and delicately chiseled ivy leaves. They appear to be gathered by a central peak. These candlesticks are almost identical to those accompanying the Persian clock designed by Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume for the Delafontaine house in 1851-1852. The candlesticks are indeed present in an old photograph of the complete set by Charles Marville: the clock is accompanied by two candlesticks very similar to ours and two cups; the few variations present are not found in all editions of this set. The similarity between the two pairs of candlesticks suggests that the Russian silversmith was strongly inspired by Geoffroy-Dechaume’s work, to the point of reproducing it almost identically, unless the reverse was true; the difficulties posed by dating the objects make it impossible to remove the doubt. However, the fineness of the chiseling of the silver candlesticks remains superior to the ornamentation of some of those produced from the design of the French silversmith.

Ref.15483
Molded door in resinous wood, painted in oak imitation

This softwood door is delicately molded and painted to imitate oak. It features an attractive lock and a handle operating an antique mechanism.

Ref.16105
Art Deco hanging light fixture

This 1940s hanging light fixture features a main structure formed by a stained wooden drum. The band is fitted with opalescent glass panels set within a lead framework. The stylized geometric motifs recall the decorative vocabulary of the Art Deco movement. The upper section is enriched with a fringe of fine rods and translucent glass beads. Suspension is achieved through a combination of metal chains and twisted cords punctuated with light bulbs. A second circular drum forms the lower section, beneath which four bell-shaped shades house exposed bulbs. The two-tier construction gives the piece a light and theatrical silhouette. The aesthetic of this fixture lies midway between late Art Deco and the postwar modernist spirit.

Ref.15742
Neo-Renaissance bronze chandelier

This Neo-Renaissance bronze chandelier features a particularly original structure. Four dragons support as many crouching cherubs perched upon a large openwork drum. The drum is adorned with scrolling acanthus foliage in which chimeras and putti holding medallions are nestled. These medallions depict Mercury, recognizable by his winged helmet, and evoke the antique cameos collected by 16th-century humanists. The structure is encircled by two elements forming a continuous frieze of laurel leaves. At the heart of the composition, four fantastical gargoyles hold the light bulbs, completing this richly historicist design.

Ref.15713
MARTIN-BREY, Japanese-style table with glazed earthenware top

A Japanese-style coffee table in blackened and carved wood, resting on a base with a low stretcher and cabriole legs with scrolls. The tabletop is made of glazed earthenware with polychrome decoration on a turquoise background, adorned with a rich stylized floral motif arranged in a central reserve and symmetrical borders. The overall composition is inspired by Far Eastern decorative arts, characteristic of the taste for Japonisme in the second half of the 19th century. The tile is signed on the reverse "Martin-Brey" and bears an impressed number (50–70), indicating production by a workshop or publisher specializing in the distribution of decorative designs. The edge of the wooden tabletop is finely engraved with geometric motifs of Oriental inspiration, perfectly consistent with the tile's decoration. The simple yet elegant structure of the base highlights the tabletop and testifies to the quality of French decorative production. French work from the late 19th century, around 1870–1890, in the style of Japonisme which spread after the Universal Exhibition of 1867.