Ref.12369
Louis XV period fireback with the coat of arms of France

This cast iron fireback was made in the 18th century. It presents the arms of France crowned in a decoration of foliated scrolls.

Ref.15180
Baroque church altar and altarpiece of the 17th century

This large Baroque altarpiece was made for the chapel of the Chazeron Castle, near Clermont-Ferrand, in the 17th century. In the 11th century, there was already a keep on the site of Chazeron castle. The building was rebuilt and extended to become a castle by the end of the Middle Ages, as illustrated in 1460 by Guillaume Revel. In the second half of the 17th century, François de Monestay (1617-1697), Marquis of Chazeron, decided to modernise the medieval castle. He commissioned Jules Hardouin-Mansart to build two new wings and had the interiors panelled. The chapel's walnut altar dates from this remodelling. Above the altar itself is a high carved wood panel. In the centre is the tabernacle in the form of a small temple in the style of Antiquity, flanked by composite fluted pilasters; it is surmounted by two unicorns framing the arms of the commissioner, themselves crowned by an angel. On either side, set against painted niches, are two statues of saints framed by four eminently Baroque twisted columns, around which vine stocks evoke the wine offered during the sacrifice of the Mass. The side columns are flanked by fire pots, while the two central columns are topped by praying angels. In the centre is a low relief depicting God the Father blessing, in line with the tabernacle. François de Monestay's coat of arms is easy to identify, because it can also be seen on a canvas painted after Hyacinthe Rigaud's portrait of the Marquis de Chazeron, kept at the Hôtel de Noailles in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The coat of arms is surmounted by a crown of a marquis and surrounded by the collars of the Order of Saint-Michel and the Order of the Holy Spirit, which he was awarded following a heroic charge against the enemy at the age of 77. The altar can therefore be dated to the 1690s. Although classical art triumphed in Paris and Versailles in the 17th century, border areas and the countryside adopted Italian artistic models. This altarpiece features a structure often used for Baroque altars, although in this case there is a certain sobriety, particularly in terms of polychromy. Although the richness of the altarpiece lies primarily in its abundant sculpted ornamentation, the addition of a sky-blue background highlights the tabernacle, the sculptures of the saints and the top of the altarpiece, and gives depth to the whole, in a very Baroque style. Finally, the twisted columns intertwined with vines are inspired by the baldachin designed by Bernini for the altar in St Peter's Basilica in Rome between 1624 and 1633. Therefore, the altar and altarpiece in the chapel at Château de Chazeron are a fine example of the penetration of Baroque art in France in the second half of the Grand Siècle.

Ref.15127
Louis-Édouard LEMARCHAND - Napoleon III low bookcase About 1850

.am-parent-card{ display: flex; width: 100%; gap: 5%; } .am-child-card{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; border-radius: 5px; background-color: white; box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px #8080807d; width: 50%; overflow: hidden; } .ref-img1 { border-radius: 5px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px grey; width: 100%; } .ref-img2 { border-radius: 5px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px grey; width: 400px; } .ref-img4 { border-radius: 5px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px grey; width: 400px; max-height: 600px } .ref-sect { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; gap: 30px } figcaption { text-align: center; } @media screen and (max-width: 640px) { .am-parent-card { display: flex; flex-direction:column; width: 100%; } .am-child-card { width: 100%; } .ref-img2 { width: 100%; } .ref-img3 { width: 100%; } .ref-img4 { width: 100%; max-height: auto !important; } .ref-img10 { width: 100%; } .ref-sect { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; gap: 30px } } This low bookcase in rosewood with figures of philosophers was made by cabinetmaker Louis-Édouard Lemarchand around 1850. Louis-Édouard Lemarchand (Paris, 1795-1872) was the son of Charles-Joseph Lemarchand (1759-1826), who founded a dynasty of cabinetmakers. He studied architecture and spent two years in the Empire. Under the Restoration, he returned to Paris to help his father in the workshop. Their cabinetmaking business took off. In 1817, they became Fournisseur Breveté du Garde-Meuble. Active under Charles X, Louis Philippe and then Napoleon III, Lemarchand fils continued to use his father's stamp, deleting the initial of the first name. It was he who executed Napoleon I's coffin in 1840. In 1846, he formed a partnership with André Lemoyne; when he retired, the business was continued by the Lemoynes, until it was taken over by Charles Jeanselme in 1893. L.-É. Lemarchand, 1/5th scale model of Napoleon's coffin at Les Invalides, c. 1840, Paris, Musée Carnavalet (D. R.) The format of this bookcase means it can be placed under windows, in a bright room, ideal for reading. Above a long, solid plinth, five glazed openings open out; the two side doors operate in pairs, while the central door has a single leaf. The arch above the openings is adorned at the top with a shell surrounded by darker wood foliage. The corners of the cabinet are beveled and feature two carved atlatls representing literary figures. On the right, the man depicted as a thinker is Socrates; on the left is another writer, looking worried, holding a roll of papers in his hand. This iconography is particularly well suited to library furniture. The atlantes adorning the corners of the dresser are particularly characteristic of Lemarchand's art, which he used in a variety of formulas on a relatively large number of works. This is the case of a cabinet sold at Tajan in 2016, richly carved in the corners and on the top.

Ref.13730
SÈVRES Manufacture, Porcelain Tazza with Masks, 1846-1863

This splendid tazza in blue porcelain enhanced with gold was executed at the Sèvres manufactory between 1846 and 1863. The Vincennes manufactory, the ancestor of the Sèvres manufactory, was founded in 1740 by workers who had defected from the Chantilly manufactory. The Vincennes manufactory became royal in 1752, shortly before its transfer to Sèvres in 1756. It enjoyed growing popularity in the second half of the 18th century, and throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, continuing to the present day. This tazza features a highly elaborate shape and decoration. Its baluster stem alternates bands of deep blue with lighter shades embellished with gold filigree, and interlaced gold on a white background with an oriental motif. Three finely executed faun masks complete the decor. The cup itself is decorated with an alternation of more or less expressive male and female masks in relief, also enhanced with gold. Inside the tazza, numerous interlaced gold patterns, some more burnished than others, unfold on a white background. The manufactory stamps present under the base provide information about the creation of the piece: the tazza was crafted during the reign of Louis-Philippe (1830-1848), in 1846; the gold decoration was only completed in 1863, under Napoleon III (1852-1870). A pair of tazze of this model, dated 1854, were shown at the 1884 Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs exhibition. This tazza is therefore a magnificent testimony to 19th-century decorative art, both in its form and its decoration.

Ref.15819
Entrance Door in Oak and Cast Iron, France, 19th Century

French entrance door from the 19th century, made of solid oak and adorned in its upper section with a finely cast iron grille. The ironwork, visible on both sides, features a symmetrical composition of leafy scrolls, palmettes, and floral rosettes. The glazed section is protected by an interior hinged panel that can be opened independently. The lower moulded wood panel retains a beautiful aged patina with wear marks attesting to its authenticity. The original cast iron handle is still present. This door combines strength, elegance, and the decorative craftsmanship typical of 19th-century French architecture.