Ref.9622
Marble Console table

Marble console table, from the Empire period, and following the Empire style. The shape of the legs make this console table very original; Its originality comes from the shape of the legs, which have curled up volutes at the top and bottom of the legs, and fluting. This elegant and sophisticated feature is a typical characteristic of the First Empire.

Ref.2646
Very beautiful antique Louis XV style fireplace made out of Red Griotte marble with gilded bronze ornaments

This exceptional Louis XV style antique fireplace in Red Griotte marble and gilded bronze was made in the 19th century. The sculptures on this fireplace, shells and foliage, are made entirely in finely chiselled gilded bronze.

Ref.03131
Diana, enamel by Jeanne Lemerle

The figure of Diana, standing, fills the length of the painting. Totally nude, she leans on a rock, upon which her towel is thrown; the sway of her hips creates a curved line breaking the rigidity of the vertical format. She holds her bow in her left hand, has a moon crescent on her forehead and one of her dogs at her side.For this painting, Jeanne Lemerle chose the theme of Diana resting in a wild rocky landscape, through which water flows. The proximity of the water and her total nudity implies she is about to bathe, or just has. The title of the painting first comes as a surprise because besides the dog, the discreet bow and half moon, no other elements indicate Diana’s hunter identity. As she did with her Daphnis and Chloe painting, Jeanne Lemerle was fond of reinterpreting classical themes.Exhibited at the Salon de Beaux Arts of 1909, along with an enamel portrait, this piece testifies to Jeanne Lemerle’s participation in the artistic life of her times, three years after she was married and had left her father’s workshop.

Ref.18204
CREIL-MONTEREAU Manufacture - Beautiful antique planter with faux cloisonné flowers decor and base made out of gilded bronze and patinated bronze with elephant heads decor

This beautiful planter was made out of enameled faience by the famous Creil-Montereau Manufacture in the Oise Department of France, ca. 1880. The feet shaped like elephant heads and the base imitating the texture of bamboo with gilt bronze show the influence of Oriental art on French artists during the second half of the 19th century. The planter’s body features a magnificent decoration of peonies and fans on a Turquoise-blue background. The painter imitated the cloisonné enamels technique by painting on gold-colored cracks. The factory’s stamp proves the origin of this object and the floral décor resembles the Flora motif that was one of the Creil manufacture’s most successful creations, exhibited at the World’s Fair of 1855 in Paris.

Ref.11426
Maison des Bambous Alfred PERRET et Ernest VIBERT (attributed to) - Beautiful japanese style living room furniture set with dragons and openwork backs of seat

This living room furniture set, consisting of two armchairs and a sofa, was made in the late 19thcentury. Its realization is attributed to the Maison des Bambous by Perret and Vibert Each back of seat, carved and openworked, of Far Eastern influence, is topped by a dragon and enriched by a panel decorated with butterflies and flowers in mother-of-pearl marquetry. The armrests are carved with dragon heads. Each seat rests on four claw feet connected by a stretcher with openwork decoration. Perret and Vibert's Maison des Bambous was set up in 1872 at number 33 rue du Quatre-Septembre. Specialised in the production of small furniture and seats made out of bamboo and wicker, they quickly turned towards the production of Japanese and Chinese inspired carved wood furniture. Around 1910, they opened a branch at 170, boulevard Haussmann and kept it open until 1994, the year that Maison des Bambous permanently closed.

Ref.11331
Eugène-Frédéric PIAT (1827-1903) - Pair of Japanese wall brackets, a similar model of which belonged to Sarah Bernhardt

This model of wall brackets was created by Frédéric Eugène Piat for the Maison Gagneau in Paris. According to the description proposed by the Museum of Troyes in its "Catalog of Decorative Arts" of 1897, there are arms of light composed of a "Chinese modillon with two brackets, an entablature and a gallery with openwork". Inspired by Chinese art, this pair of wall brackets combines the Far Eastern motifs with French ornamental elements: rinceau scrolls and interlaces characteristic of the Louis XV style, illustrating the vogue for eclecticism that marks the artistic production in the 19th century. The motif of the Asian monster recalls the lions mufles made by the artist in its works of Renaissance inspiration while evoking the imaginary bestiary of Japonism; the monster holds in its jaws a ring that recalls a knocker but devoid of its primary purpose as it is indeed a purely decorative element. The same model belonged to the actress Sarah Bernhardt and is visible on old photographs of her Parisian house. The same pair of wall brackets adorned her studio. Frédéric-Eugène Piat (1827-1903) was one of the leading French sculptors and ornamentalists of the 19th century at the beginning of, with Louis-Constant Sévin in particular, the renewal and development of the French bronze industry. An active member of the Bronzes Manufacturers' Association, he is one of those who have merged art and industry. He later became one of the founders of the Central Union of Fine Arts Applied to Industry in 1864. After training with sculptors and ornamentalists, he started his own business in 1845 and enjoyed a good reputation in the 1850s. During the next decade, he began a collaboration with the founder Louis Léon Marchand (1831-1899). In the 1870s, he collaborated with eminent manufacturers: Georges Édouard Gagneau, Charles de Marnyhac, Emile Colin and the Val d'Osne Foundry. His artistic consecration takes place from the year 1873: while he designs models to be exhibited at the World’s Fair of 1873 in Vienna, he receives the visit of the President of the Republic Adolphe Thiers who makes him knight of the Legion of Honor for his fruitful contribution in the field of the bronze industry in French art. He participated at the Parisian Salons and at nine World’s Fairs in the second half of the century. He is particularly noticed during the World’s Fair of 1878 held in Paris where he exhibited a vast collection of works of art thanks to which he received a gold medal, but especially during the World’s Fair of 1889 when he was decorated with the Grand Prix, higher reward ever given to an industrial artist. Thanks to the quality and style of his productions, which are typical of the taste of the time for historicism and eclecticism, and as shown by this pair of Japanese-style consoles, Piat enjoyed not only a nation-wide reputation but also international.

Ref.12973
Set of around 19 m² of terracotta floor tiles in square shape

Antique terracotta floor tiles of around 19 m² in a square shape, from the 19th century. The sides are 5" 15/16 for 13/16" to 1" 3/8 thick.

Ref.15073
Pair of andirons with female busts

These two andirons are each adorned with a female bust. The head of each woman is covered with a lion's skin that stops above her breast. The latter is highlighted by a fabric. Both andirons have a simple base.

Ref.14989
Joseph Simon Volmar (Berne, 1796-1865), Pair of bears in cast iron

Joseph Simon Volmar (or Vollmar) (Bern, 1796-1865) was a Swiss painter and sculptor. Born to a painter father, he was his student at the Bern Art School and later studied in Paris between 1814 and 1824 under Horace Vernet, Théodore Géricault, and the sculptor David d’Angers. In 1836, he was appointed Extraordinary Professor of Academic Drawing and Oil Painting at the Bern Art School. His reputation extended beyond Swiss borders. Volmar was known for his historical, landscape, and animal paintings and sculptures. During the 19th century, an era marked by the emergence of national consciousness, he secured a significant public commission for the monument to Rudolf von Erlach (c. 1299-1360), the victor of the Battle of Laupen in 1339, which preserved the independence of the city of Bern on that occasion. The architect Gottlieb Debler, the caster Rüetschi von Aarau (for the equestrian statue), and the Bisontine foundry Gandillot et Roy (for the bears) collaborated with Joseph Volmar in the construction of the monument between 1841 and 1848. Its inauguration took place during the Laupenfest in 1849, and the monument is now located on the Grabenpromenade. The presence of bears serves as a reminder of the historical identity of the city. Two of the bears sculpted by Volmar were casted again through a private commission from the Marshal of Saxe, who likely admired the monument. Although the plate indicating their authorship and casting location is missing, a comparison with the monument allows us to attribute them to Volmar. These statues were likely cast in Besançon; since the Gandillot et Roy foundry was acquired by the Degoumois et Cie foundry in 1864, it is certain that the bears were cast before that date. The animals, with their varied poses, detailed fur, and great expressiveness, showcase the sculptor’s mastery of animal art. One, ferocious, bares its fangs and raises its paw as if to attack, while the other is more playful, with its ball and its almost smiling expression. In both cases, the sculptor paid great attention to the detailed representation of the animals’ fur. Volmar had the opportunity to observe bears since the city of Bern housed them, and his graphic work includes numerous representations of these animals. Thus, the bears created by Volmar for the monument to Rudolf von Erlach were so admirable that they served as models for a new casting intended for private use. To our knowledge, these bears are the only two examples that have been cast from the monument.

Ref.15047
Armand POINT, Preparatory drawing for the painting Young Woman with the Green Toque, 1905

This portrait of a woman in red chalk was executed by Armand Point in 1905. A lover of Italy from 1893 onwards, Armand Point (1861-1932) was notably influenced by the Florentine Primitives and the masters of the Italian Renaissance. This work is a testament to that influence. It is the preparatory drawing for one of his paintings, Young Woman with the Green Toque. The model is the artist’s second wife, Helga Weeke, with whom he traveled to Venice for the second time in 1905. In the background, one can distinguish a campanile, perhaps that of the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and the silhouette of a Venetian palace with precisely described architecture, behind the canal where a canoe is navigating. On the right, a garden adorned with a fountain. The softness of the woman’s features and the serenity of her expression echo another red chalk drawing of Helga, characterized by its pronounced sensuality.

Ref.5722
Napoleon III style mantel with modillions carved in black Marquina marble

Ref.5365
Small Louis XV style mantel in red Levanto marble

Ref.5916
Louis XV style fireplace with floral palmette, in Arabescato marble

Ref.5919
Louis XV style fireplace in Carrara marble with plant decoration