Ref.10648
Very beautiful antique Napoleon III oval mirror decorated with bunches of grapes and grape leaves

This oval mirror is a very beautiful example of the decorative art of the Napoleon III style , which was the age of leisure and balls. Finely executed, wooden and gilt stucco vines frame the "parecloses", and are reflected in the mirror.

Ref.12180
Antique Louis XVI style trumeau, decorated with laurel wreaths

Antique trumeau in the Louis XVI style, made in the 19th century, with a pediment decorated with laurel wreaths.

Ref.15038
Trumeau in the Louix XVI style with pearl frieze

Ref.15972
Édouard DROUOT, The Rowers, circa 1890

This work was executed by Édouard Drouot around 1880. The sculptor Édouard Drouot (Sommevoire, 1859-Paris, 1945) studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in 1880 under Mathurin Moreau; three years later, he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. He participated in numerous exhibitions, notably at the Salon des Artistes Français, and was rewarded several times. Drouot was famous for his sense of movement, evident in this sporting work, although this subject stands as an exception in his oeuvre. On a fine, elongated rowing boat stand two rowers and a coxswain steering the boat; it is thus a "coxed pair". The representation is very realistic: the athletes are in the precise position that marks the transition between the "recovery" (oars out of the water) and the "drive" that propels the skiff forward: knees bent, arms extended; their synchronization, which must be perfect, is revealed by the identical nature of their positions. The athletes wear a t-shirt and shorts while the coxswain, who was often small in size to avoid being an excessive weight, is dressed in a shirt and trousers. The curvature of the oars is represented with precision, as is the equipment that holds them attached to the boat. The sculptor takes particular care in the expression of the characters: the young boy displays a radiant face, while the two athletes, with carefully individualized features, focus on the sporting performance to be achieved. As in this work, racing boats are very long and narrow to reduce resistance due to friction on the water. The rowers sit with their backs to the direction of travel on a sliding seat that accompanies their movements, enhancing the power of their strokes. The oars are the blades used to propel the boat. Rowing is a complete sport, engaging all the muscles. The earliest rowing races were certainly very ancient: Virgil mentions one in the Aeneid at the end of the 1st century BC. The first modern races took place in the second half of the 18th century, among professional rowers who operated as water taxis on the Thames in London; from that point, the United Kingdom became the privileged stage for the development of these competitions. When the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens under the impetus of Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1896, rowing was immediately included among the Olympic disciplines. There are several other statuettes almost identical to ours, except for some differences in the bases and plaques. Perhaps these works were distributed as prizes at various rowing competitions. Edouard Drouot also created another sculpture on a related theme, entitled The Canoeists. This slightly later version, dated around 1900, depicts two rowers in a canoe. Unlike rowers, canoeists face the direction they are heading, thus looking far ahead.

Ref.5487
Louis XVI style mantel in veined Carrara marble with flower adorned heads

Ref.15267
Georges ENGRAND and Émile MULLER, Planter with Three Faces of a Young Women and a Monkey, circa 1896

This terracotta planter was made by Georges Engrand and Émile Muller around 1896. The sculptor Georges Engrand participated in the Salon from 1880 onwards, including with flower holders and vases in the vein of this planter. The Muller company, active in Ivry between 1854 and 1908, worked on ceramics applied to architecture and the production of ceramics based on models provided by artists. Émile Muller was involved in the renovation of architectural ceramics. The body of the planter is entirely camouflaged by the triple representation of the face of the same young woman. The faces are framed by abundant hair. They show slightly different expressions: the first two are smiling, while the third appears melancholic. On the right, a monkey tries to climb up the front edge of the planter, as if attempting to break into the sculpture. The work is signed by both artists. The model of this planter was likely presented at the 1896 Salon, based on the mention of a bronze vase titled “Masks and Monkeys”. This planter was produced in several copies. Additionally, Engrand reused the same iconography for the low-relief decoration of a pot holder.

Ref.15437
Louis XVI style trumeau with small wreath of flowers

Ref.15646
Gold Louis Philippe style trumeau with floral and plant decoration