Ref.1887
Antique Neo-Renaissance style walnut mantelpiece With Diane de Poitiers coat of arms after the monumental fireplace coming from the Chateau of Villeroy and exhibited at the Louvre Museum

This exquisite hooded fireplace was made during the 19th century out of walnut wood, and follows the Neo-Renaissance style. At the centre of the entablature, a Red Griotte marble cabochon is placed. The rest of the entablature is elaborately carved with sphinxes. The Diane de Poitiers coat of arms, 3 intertwined C, are on the end of the frieze. The Sphinxes decorating the frieze of this fireplace are made after the monumental fireplace from the Château de Villeroy in Mennecy and now exhibited in the Louvre Museum. This fireplace was made by Mathieu Jacquet circa 1600 for the chateau built by Nicolas de Neufville, lord of Villeroy (1542-1617). It was bought by Alexandre Lenoir for the Musée des Monuments français in 1801/1802.

Ref.2765
Large antique Neo-Renaissance style fireplace made out of carved walnut with Helm Knight decor

This Neo-Renaissance style antique fireplace in carved walnut was made in the 19th century. The jambs form columns holding up the hood. This is adorned with a knight’s helmet with carved foliage.

Ref.10265
Antique Louis XVI style overmantel with a frieze of laurel and ovals

This Louis XVI style overmantel was made in the 19th century in wood and stucco painted in white. An ovals frieze enhance the lintel. The mirror is framed by a frieze of seeded and ribbons laurels. The base is ornamented on each sides with an olive branch topped by a basket of flowers.

Ref.10883
Beautiful antique cast iron fireback with the Jannon family coat of arms, 18th century

This beautiful antique Louis XV style fireback was made in the 18th century. It presents the coat of arms of the Jannon family: Gules with three cinquefoils of silver. Two griffons are on both sides, the whole is surmounted by a Marquis crown. It may be a fireback for Jean Jannon, who died in 1726, an honorary councilor at the Burgundy Parliament.

Ref.16547
Japanese-style humidor with enameled decoration

This extraordinary Japanese-style humidor was crafted in the late 19th century. It is a true miniature piece of furniture. The central body is closed with two doors adorned with a rich enamel decoration, while on either side, open asymmetrical shelves seem ready to hold collectible items. The interior of the cabinet is divided into compartments and cigar drawers, allowing them to be stored separately. The enamel decoration depicting wading birds in an aquatic environment reflects the influence of Japanese prints and Chinese enamel objects on Western art starting from the 1870s. This small piece of furniture was created in the spirit of those crafted by the cabinetmaker Gabriel Viardot at the same time. The cover, with its upturned ends reminiscent of pagodas, the asymmetrical shelves, the ornamental panels, and the numerous low-relief carvings are all details that recall the furniture of the famous cabinetmaker.

Ref.18458
ZSOLNAY Manufacture - "Young woman at the source", vide poche in iridescent ceramic

This Art Nouveau style vide-poche (storage tray) made of iridescent ceramic is from approximately 1900 and signed “Zsolnay Pecs Made in Hungary.” A female figure is leaning down with a jar to collect water. The object's asymmetrical shape, curved outlines, and iridescent ceramic translate the movement, texture, and blueish-green colors of the water. This colorful and original vide-poche belongs to the Art Nouveau movement, an artistic movement from the beginning of the 20th century that wanted to break away from traditional forms and historicist styles from the 19th century. The defenders of the Art Nouveau movement wished to create an art form that included both modernity and a return to nature and its symbols. This vide-poche's modernity is brought by the shine and colors of the iridescent ceramic, and by the object's simple outlines. It also has a very organic, natural side to it, as every aspect helps to recreate the water that the female figure is collecting. As the stamp on the bottom says, this object is from the Zsolnay Factory, a Hungarian ceramics factory founded in 1851 by the merchant Miklos Zsolnay. It first produced simple, useful objects, and in 1865, when Vilmos Zsolnay, Miklos' brother, took over the company, it began creating decorative dishware. It exhibited faience at the World's Fair of 1878 in Paris and obtained a Grand Prize. From the 1890's, the factory also produced architectural ceramics.

Ref.12140
Antique Louis XVI style gilded trumeau decorated with a frieze of pearls

Antique gilded trumeau made in the 19th century, in the Louis XVI style decorated with a beautiful frieze of pearls.

Ref.12041
aul Romain CHEVRÉ (1866-1914) - Le combat de coqs, bronze with golden patina

Le combat de coqs, a bronze print with a golden patina signed Paul Chevré (1866-1914). Stamp of the foundryman Jollet & Cie Paris.

Ref.12630
Art Nouveau mahogany woodwork from Café Barjot in Paris, 1905

This woodwork characteristic of the Art Nouveau style comes from the Café Barjot located avenue Ledru-Rollin in the 12th district of Paris, it was made in 1905. It is composed on a first wall of a symmetrical set of seven beveled mirrors - one of which is large - framed by mahogany in the shape of a stylized tree with sinuous lines. The same assembly of mirrors is found on the wall facing it, with a decoration of enamelled flowers in relief on some parts of the mirrors. The third wall is composed in its center of an alcove with beveled mirrors and a clock in a mahogany and glass decoration enamelled with plants. On either side of this alcove is a set of mahogany-framed mirrors with a relief enamel decoration of stylized flowers interlaced with leaves on a white background. Two of the panels are also inhabited by ibis. To the left, the wall continues with an arcade flanked by mahogany-framed beveled mirrors, and to the right by the same decoration, but the arcade is replaced by a large beveled mirror. The decoration of this woodwork is characteristic of the Art Nouveau style that emerged at the end of the 19th century in Europe. This style contrasts with the creations of the previous period belonging to the realistic/naturalist style, sometimes considered dark and severe. Thus, the ousting of straight lines and right angles to emphasize instead curved lines inspired by plants is a recurring feature. Fundamental elements such as color and the use of materials such as glass help to create the effect of fantasy and a feeling of lightness. Many Parisian cafés and restaurants decorated at the beginning of the 20th century have seen their walls adorned with Art Nouveau woodwork with sinuous lines decorated with mirrors and stained glass windows with decorations inspired by natural elements. For example, we can mention the restaurant Le Vagenende, boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement or the restaurant Maxim's rue Royale in the 8th arrondissement.

Ref.10960
Cast iron fireback with Pellet de Fretinville family coat of arms, 16th century

This beautiful antique fireback was made in the 16th century. It shows the coat of arms of the Pellet de Fretinville family hold by two lions with a great helm and the Saint Michel orders. A similar exemple is kept in the Pithiviers museum and is illustrated in the H.Carpentier's book "Firebacks"

Ref.14083
Imaginary views of Paris in the 16th century: two paintings on porcelain by Alphonse CHAIGNON

Signed and dated 1882, these two circular-shaped porcelain paintings are the work of the painter Alphonse Chaignon. Trained by Jean-Hilaire Belloc, then a student of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, Chaignon is known for his urban views idealizing the past, in particular medieval and Renaissance Paris. In the work we present on the left, the flamboyant Gothic bell tower of the Saint-Jacques Tower (completed in 1523) is identifiable. We can also see the sign of a tavern, “Au Lion d’Or”, indicating refined cuisine. If the costumes clearly evoke the Renaissance, the city is still immersed in a medieval atmosphere. The half-timbered houses, the Gothic ornaments, the centuries-old activities of women reflect Chaignon's archaeological passion. Certain details, such as the woman carrying a jug, demonstrate the influence of Italian painting on Chaignon. The medieval and Renaissance past fascinates many writers (Victor Hugo), architects (Viollet-Le-Duc) and artists (Jules Adeline, Alphonse Chaignon, Albert Robida) of the 19th century. The 1900 Universal Exhibition celebrated this imagination by offering a reconstruction of Paris in the Middle Ages.

Ref.14914
BOCH Frères, Art Nouveau Vase in Iridescent Faience Decorated with a Toad and Mushrooms, late 19th century

This iridescent faience vase with a toad and mushroom motif was created by the Boch Frères manufactory in the late 19th century. In 1841, Eugène and Victor Boch founded a fine faience manufactory called Kéramis in La Louvière, Belgium. The faience factory quickly flourished and diversified its production, adapting to the stylistic and technical evolutions of the time. This particular vase is emblematic of the Art Nouveau movement, as evidenced by its asymmetrical design directly inspired by nature: the body of the vase takes the form of a tree stump. Wider and rounded at the base due to roots seemingly ready to plunge into the earth, it rises to a certain height before ending with an irregular rim. Several mushrooms, among which an agaric, grow on it, and a toad climbs at the base of the stump. The vase features an iridescent glaze transitioning from pink to violet, lightening to white on the mushrooms and darkening to brown on the toad. This glazing demonstrates the high level of mastery achieved by certain artists and the most important manufactories at the end of the 19th century. The mark under the base indicates that the manufactory had a subsidiary in Thiais, in the Seine department. A vase of the same shape but with a slightly different glaze – where pink blends with yellow-orange, green, and blue (and the toad appears black) – was noted by expert Alain Cical.

Ref.15096
Louis XVI period trumeau decorated with a painting of a flowering vase

Ref.15020
GILARDONI FILS & BRAULT tilery, Weepers, 1900 Paris Exposition

These ceramic mourners were created around 1900 by the tile factory Gilardoni Fils & Brault. Founded in 1880 by Xavier Gilardoni, the son and nephew of the inventors of the revolutionary waterproof interlocking tile, and Alphonse Brault, the company was based in Choisy-le-Roi and produced decorative ceramic works. The iconography of mourners has existed in funerary art since the 13th century. These figures traditionally represent grieving men surrounding the deceased. In the 15th century, Claus Sluter revitalized this tradition with the prestigious commission for the tomb of Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy. The project, initiated by Jean de Marville, was significantly reworked by Sluter, who individualized each mourner with unique postures, notably through the use of large drapery. The tomb of Philippe le Hardi is a masterpiece that revolutionized late 14th-century funerary sculpture, influencing subsequent works like the tomb of Jean sans Peur and Marguerite de Bavière, crafted by Jean de la Huerta and Antoine le Moiturier between 1443 and 1470. This latter tomb also features mourners inspired by those of Philippe le Hardi. Nearly five centuries later, the mourners from these ducal tombs still captivated artists. Gilardoni Fils & Brault produced several versions of these figures, separating them from their original context and rendering them as stand-alone works. The mourners here are notable for their expressiveness. The first figure, with its face hidden under a hood and arms crossed, leans slightly backward in a dignified expression of grief, resembling mourner No. 22 from Philippe le Hardi’s tomb by Sluter. The second figure, more humorous in nature, pinches its nose, perhaps due to the stench of death or to hold back tears. This figure echoes mourner No. 64 from Jean sans Peur’s tomb, which itself likely drew inspiration from the now-lost mourner No. 17 from Philippe le Hardi’s tomb. The mourners by Gilardoni Fils & Brault were exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition alongside other works by the manufacturer. An old photograph published in The Art Journal. The Paris Exhibition 1900 (volume 2, p. 351) shows a series of six mourners, including the two currently at the Marc Maison gallery. The No. 22 mourner from Philippe le Hardi’s tomb is displayed twice, at each end of the shelf, showcasing the uniform quality of the reproductions. The Marc Maison gallery mourners bear the numbers 3 and 6 under their bases. The photograph is accompanied by high praise for the manufacturer’s stand: “The works shown here were of a distinctly individual nature, and nothing finer of its kind than the little statuettes representing the “Monks of Dijon” was to be found in the Section” (The Art Journal. Paris Exhibition 1900, volume 2, p. 351). While inspired by significant works from the early 15th century, these mourners are firmly rooted in their time, reflected in the use of ceramics and their inherent reproducibility, which allowed for wider dissemination, though such works remain rare today.

Ref.15168
Louis XVI style trumeau adorned with a frieze of ovals and pearls

Ref.15567
Napoleon III style trumeau in wood adorned with a garland of flowers