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Four busts of Kings of France, former Beistegui collection

These four Neo-Renaissance style plaster busts represent Kings of France. They are copies of originals from the Renaissance and the 17th century that are in the Louvre. The first bust, copy of a bronze original, represents Louis XIII. For a long time, this sculpture was attributed to Jean Warin in the museum inventories but today specialists believe it is the work of Francesco Bordoni because it was found in the collection of his son Pierre Bordoni at his death. The three other busts are copies of works in alabaster and marble from the studio of the famous sculptor Germain Pilon (1535-1590). They are portraits of Henri II, Charles IX and Henri III. The four kings are wearing coronation clothes, each wearing the chain of the order of Saint Michael around their neck.

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Prestigious antique fireplace in Scagliola as Sarrancolin Fantastico marble made after the fireplace of the Council Room at the Palace of Versailles

Prestigious antique fireplace made out of Scagliola painted in trompe-l'œil in faux Sarrancolin Fantastico marble with gilded ornaments. The large central leafy shell and the espagnolettes are characteristic of the Louis XV style . This beautiful chimney was made around 1880 after the model of the one that adorns the Council Room at the Versailles Palace. The latter was ordered by Louis XV in 1748 to replace the one commissioned by Louis XIV in 1701. The current fireplace, made out of Griotte red marble and gilt bronze, was installed in 1755. We also find the same model of fireplace, this time in white Carrara marble and gilt bronze , in the Ambassadors' Room of the Palais de l'Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic, in Paris. It is therefore an extremely prestigious mantelpiece model, realized to decorate exceptional places.

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Julien-Nicolas RIVART (1802-1867) - Louis XV style table in ebonized pear wood inlaid with porcelain marquetry

Bibliography: Masterpieces of Marquetry in the 19th century. Patents. Rivart, Cremer, Fourdinois, Kayser Sohn et Duvinage, Marc Maison et Emmanuelle Arnauld, Ed. Faton, 2012, p. 35. This superb violin-shaped table in the Louis XV style was decorated with porcelain marquetry by Julien-Nicolas Rivart . The depth of the black color of the wood is heightened by the precious quality of the colors used in the center of the top: a bouquet containing a great variety of flowers (coreopsis, oleander, convolvulus, roses, etc.) was realized in painted porcelain marquetry according to the process invented by Rivart . The artist was especially attentive to the rendering of each flower that was delicately designed without repetition, accentuating the great naturalism of the composition and giving the impression of a real bouquet of flowers set upon the table. The inlay of the porcelain pieces, notably for the leaves, is directly inspired by Florentine hardstone marquetry and this technique heightens the realistic aspect of the motifs while creating a striking contrast between the different shades of light and dark. Rivart made several tables decorated using porcelain marquetry and this piece owes its great originality to the motif of a bouquet placed on the center of a table that is large in size. This piece differs from other tables by Rivart where garlands of flowers run along the top, as on the one made for the Count of Manneville, kept at the Cité de la Céramique de Sèvres. The artist who painted the porcelain flowers for this table did not sign them. However, it is possible to attribute the work to Pierre-Joseph Guérou , a painter who worked at the Sèvres porcelain factory and whose signature appears on several pieces of furniture by Rivart , such as the jewel cabinet at the Château de Compiègne. As he specialized in painted porcelain plaques, he participated several times in the salons between 1836 and 1865. The treatment of the flowers, in fading tones, seems characteristic of Guérou's painting and attests to the complete mastery of the artist. Inspired by the porcelain plaques fashionable in the 18th century, as well as by Florentine hardstone mosaics, Julien-Nicolas Rivart understood how to develop an innovative technique that totally revitalized the use of porcelain by inlaying it as true marquetry, where each element is independent. Rivart 's porcelain marquetry won awards several times at international exhibitions and this process was particularly praised by critics – French as well as English. Rivart's technique, considered "one of the most important innovations for the decoration of furniture" was universally acclaimed for its charm. Rivart took out a patent on his invention in 1849, thus keeping the exclusivity on this process and producing limited quantities of exceptional pieces of furniture. The beauty of materials, the delicacy of colors and a rare decorative concept are the factors that make this table an exceptional piece of furniture and bears witness to this virtuoso process that spreads over the surface of furniture "the magic that comes from a bouquet of kaolin" (Auguste Luchet, L'Art industriel à l'Exposition de 1867).

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TAHAN Manufactory, Julien-Nicolas RIVART (1802-1867) and Pierre-Joseph GUEROU - Exceptional Louis XV style violin-shaped Desk Decorated with porcelain marquetry And gilt bronze espagnolettes

Of exceptional manufacture, this Louis XV style desk is a "bureau plat de milieu", designed to be arranged in the center of a room. It is the fruit of a collaboration between the cabinetmaker Tahan and the audacious Julien-Nicolas Rivart , supported by the painter Pierre-Joseph Guérou . Lavishly decorated on all sides and mounted in a sumptuous decor of gilt bronze, four espagnolettes decorate its curved legs, and four beaded shells, enliven by foliage, adorn the four "violin" shaped crosspieces. The presence of the three signatures allows us without hesitation to determine the part of each one in the elaboration of this work of exception. We know that Julien-Nicolas Rivart registered a patent for a porcelain inlay technique in September 1849, and that he joined in 1850 with Paul-Joseph Andrieux, a native of Limoges, under the name "Rivart et Andrieux", being then the only ones to fully master this meticulous and eminently delicate technique of marquetry. Rivart achieved here a synthesis between the Florentine hard stone marquetry and the decoration of porcelain slabs from 18th century. Rivart's invention enables sophisticated hues to contrast directly with the wood, and prevents to hide the veins and the cabinetmaker's beautiful work. For that reason, at the World's Fairs of 1851, 1855 and 1867, this technique is described as "a delicious process", "yet more beautiful than beautiful", and receives the Emperor Napoleon III's congratulations. He can hence combine the lightness of marquetry and its sophisticated contrasts effects, with the charm of painting on porcelain. The flower crown adorning the shelf was thus painted with a great range of hues and the freshness of porcelain painting. Pierre-Joseph Guérou , painter of flowers and former painter of the Sèvres Manufactory in the years 1847-1848, realizes here a gorgeous painted decoration of naturalistic flowers, that he signs and dates of 1853. He unfolds here a complete palette of complementary tints, with purple campanulas and a yellow tulip for example, that create a remarkable luminosity. Presently, very rare furniture pieces bearing Guérou's signature are known, which makes our desk all the more rare. Guérou signed as well in 1852 a table preserved in the Museum of Murska Sobota (Slovenia) and originating from the Beltinci residence, which decoration is slightly different, being composed of four flower bouquets. The table itself proposes a more simple decoration, the four sides displaying a wood marquetry and the gilt bronze being notably reduced. Once the shelf of our desk was realized, one of the privileged collaborators of Rivart entered on stage, the renowned Tahan . Signing and dating 1856 on the drawer's lock, the "Patented Cabinetmaker of the Emperor" used his exceptional mastering for the realization of this desk and probably for its gilt bronze decoration. The desk presented here is hence a fine witness of Tahan's favorable disposition towards the "Rivart process". Pierre Lambert Tahan , a Belgian cabinetmaker, settled in Paris shortly before 1806, in the district of the Temple. In 1844, he ceased all activity and left the direction of his shop to his son, Jean-Pierre Tahan . The latter will then completely revolutionize the organization of the company by separating manufactory and store, installed at 32 rue de la Paix. A year later, he is already reported as "Supplier of the King and Princes". In 1855, he bears the title of "Supplier of the Emperor", a reference of the highest importance which he takes care to recall on our table the following year. At that time, the Court commissioned him a large range of furniture pieces, libraries, tables, pedestals and toiletry cases. Then, Tahan will participate in the great World's Fairs of his time. On the occasion of the World's Fair of 1855 in Paris, he presents an extraordinary aviary in walnut carved with foliage and flying birds. Executed by Tahan , our desk is a true luxurious work, suitable to the decoration of a princely interior. The comparison can easily be established with the table bought by the Count of Manneville on the occasion of his marriage in 1861 and now preserved in the Sèvres Museum of the Cité de la Céramique. On this table we observe a very similar crown of flowers, knotted with four sky-blue ribbons, although the colors are paler. There is no mention of Guérou for the painting of these flowers, which is hardly surprising given the late date of realization for this table, almost ten years after the realization of our desk.

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Maison des Bmbous Alfred PERRET and Ernest VIBERT (attributed to) - Japanese flat desk with mother-of-pearl and ivory decoration

This desk, inspired by the Far East, was created in the 19th century. The parchment leaf-style tray and the five drawers are engraved and inlaid with floral motifs, birds, insects and butterflies in ivory and mother-of-pearl. The belt is decorated with openwork Chinese motifs. The pedestal with spacer is sculpted and finished with claw feet. This Japanese style desk is typical of its time and of the creations by Perret and Vibert. The decorative arts of the late 19th century testifies to a renewed attraction for Far Eastern creations and divert the codes of the Japanese art to apply them to perfectly Western furniture. The Maison des Bambous by Perret and Vibert is the place to be for lovers of Japanese objects at the end of the 19th century. Alfred Perret founded, in 1879 in Paris, a house specialized in the production of bamboo and luxury basketry furniture, as well as in the importation of authentically Japanese objects for a well-off clientele. The company specializes in the early 1880s in the manufacture of lacquered and carved wood Japanese style furniture. In 1886, it is taken by the son of Alfred Perret and Ernest Vibert and becomes "Perret and Vibert". It will take the name of "La Maison des Bambous" in the early 1890s.

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Gabriel VIARDOT (attributed to) - Asymmetrical cabinet with rich engraved and sculpted decoration of extreme oriental inspiration

The realization of this cabinet is attributed to Gabriel Viardot, famous parisian cabinetmaker, specialized in chinese and japanese style furniture in the second half of the 19th century. Opens on the left side to a small door and a drawer with a gilded bronze grip on which a shelf with an openwork decoration of interlacing is supported. The door leaf is decorated with a large vase decorated with mother-of-pearl and bone inlay and adorned with carved flowers. On the right side a large door with a mirror and a richly carved pediment.

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SARREGUEMINES MANUFACTURE - Sandstone vase "Cathedral and coat of arms of Metz"

This vase, made in the late 19th century in salt sandstone called Lorraine sandstone, is signed by the manufacture of Sarreguemines. Its incised decor is enhanced with enamels. It refers to a dark period for the faience industry, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and especially the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. We can presume that this prussian occupation is here represented by these menacing crows. Sarreguemines, town located less than 100 km from Metz, is annexed at the same time as all Alsace-Lorraine by Prussia in 1871. The leader of the manufacture, Alexander de Geiger, then leaves Sarreguemines and retires to Paris. Two new factories are then built in Digoin and Vitry-le-François. In 1877, the cathedral of Metz undergoes important damages: to celebrate the first coming of the emperor Guillaume Ier, the authorities had decided to set fire to the city by shooting fireworks from the roofs of the cathedral. A fire breaks out destroying the entire structure ... In view of this unprecedented historical context, there is no doubt that the iconography of this vase is an allegory of the Prussian oppressor in the form of crows. A similar model with variations in shades, from the collections of the Sarreguemines Museum, is presented in the book "La Faïencerie de Sarreguemines" by Alain Benedick, published by ABM.

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Pair of chairs inspired by the Far East

Pair of chairs with pendants of Far Eastern inspiration, made in the 19th century. The backs are carved with a dragon and the feet are finished with claws.

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CRISTALLERIE DE BACCARAT, Neo-Greek, krater-shaped vase, made out of coated crystal, and etched through hydrofluoric acid, 1867 World’s Fair

This krater-shaped vase made out of coated crystal is a work from the Baccarat crystal-glass making factory, between 1862 and 1867, year when similar models were displayed at the Parisian World’s Fair. It is the Baccarat manufacture’s second entry, the first being at the first Parisian World’s Fair of 1855. Baccarat does win a gold medal, in particular for two vases made out of ruby red crystal, and a crystal fountain of seven meters high. Created under Louis XV’s reign, the crystal-glass making factory got its international fame through its participations, all along the 19th century, and until 1937, to the World’s Fairs.he works of the manufacture are scarcely signed between 1764 and 1860, year where the first labels did appear punctually. Fifteen years later, a seal with the name of the firm is placed on some blowing models and gilded bronze pieces. It is not until 1936 that the « BACCARAT » brand, with a carafe and two glasses, started appearing systematically on every production. During the 1867 World’s Fair, Baccarat inspired itself from the Bacchus cult for most of its production. We can see in our vase the influence of ancient ceramics through the shape of a krater – a piece of ceramics used by Greeks to dilute wine with water – as well as in the composition and the decoration’s subject. The latest is engraved thanks to hydrofluoric acid, a technical mastered by the German chemist Louis Kessler in 1855, who did improve the chemical formula of the bath to make it less aggressive and thus, less dangerous. Baccarat bought the patent in 1864, allowing the manufacture to diverse its production and to reach a new level of virtuosity. Detaching themselves from an opaque, white background, pink colored figures are represented in the spirit of ancient decorations on ceramics. We can see on one face a maenad wearing a spinning drapery, holding a drinking cup in one hand and a thyrsus in the other – a stick similar to a scepter and crowned with a pine cone, Dionysus’s attribute. On the other side, two figures are placed face to face, a masculine and a feminine one. They might represent the divine couple of Dionysus and Ariadne : she is sat on an ancient seat, richly dressed, and addressing the half-naked young man that is also carrying a thyrsus. In order for this decoration to be perfect, the two figurative scenes are framed with different patterns : palm motif, interlacing, Greek key frieze and laurel leaves.The handles have been realized after : they were shaped in clear crystal, and then adorned with gold painting applied with a brush. Even if, until today, our vase is the only one known showing this krater shape and the color rose, other similar models, with similar decorations, does exist – in particular in blue and yellow. Moreover, this bacchanal scene on an opaque white background have been applied on other pieces produced by the firm, that can be seen in museums’ collections, such as the Corning Museum of Glass, the Chrysler Museum of Norfolk, the Musée d’Orsay or at the Petit Palais.

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Taxil DOAT for the SÈVRES Manufacture, Oxblood Red Glazed Porcelain Jardinière, 1907

This large jardiniere in glazed red porcelain was created by Taxile Doat in 1907 in his workshop in Sèvres. A talented ceramist, Taxile Doat worked for the Sèvres manufactory between 1877 and 1905, while maintaining a personal workshop in Paris, and later in Sèvres. He taught ceramics in the United States between 1909 and 1915. Influenced by East Asian arts, he presents here a vase with a very refined form and decor. Its shape and color echo Asian pieces such as an 18th-century Chinese jardiniere. The ceramist adopted this form while making it his own, adding cabochons of green and blue glazed ceramic that define the character of the piece. The work is signed, dated, and located under the base. A porcelain vase with very similar decoration, which was part of the collection of the gallerist Oscar Graf, a specialist in the artist, also demonstrates Doat's fascination with traditional Chinese porcelain, whose forms he repeatedly reinterpreted.

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Escalier de CRISTAL (in the spirit of), Pair of pink porcelain potpourris, 19th century

This pair of 19th-century potpourris in the Louis XVI style consists of a porcelain bowl and lid in a magnificent matt pink colour. The “putoisage” technique used, which gives the piece its slightly speckled appearance, almost creates a relief effect that lends character to the porcelain. The resulting light effect compliments the brilliance of the original gilded bronze that adorns the pots. The gilded bronze elements on these pieces include the pinecone-shaped handle. This is a recurring motif in decorative art, symbolising fertility and regeneration. The openwork bronze necks of the containers are decorated with olive branches, an elegant and clever way of allowing the scents contained in the potpourri to escape. Finally, the pots rest on three legs finished by lion paws set on a base engraved with stylised acanthus leaves. Under the three legs, a flame reminds us of fire pots, these architectural ornaments typical of the classical and baroque periods. This set was produced in the spirit of the Escalier de Cristal by a manufacturer whose production quality is very similar to that of this great Parisian house. Heiress of the great merchant-mercers of the eighteenth century, Escalier de Cristal was a famous company during the Restoration created in 1808 and closed in 1923. Merchant-editor, the Escalier de Cristal produced small furniture and luxury objects. For the realization of its models, Escalier de Cristal most often called upon Parisian artists specializing in a specific technical field. Here is a rare photo of Escalier de Cristal pieces amongst which we can find a potpourri. Archive photo « Cl. 105 », An Escalier de Cristal potpourri, © Galerie Marc Maison.

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RIBAILLER and MAZAROZ, Pair of walnut statues of a hunter and a fisherman, after the 1855 Universal Exhibition

This pair of sculptures of hunters was presented on their sheaths. This type of installation is typical of an exhibition, and was used to showcase the sculptor's skills. It should be noted, however, that these figures were designed to decorate a piece of furniture purchased by Napoleon III and presented at the 1855 Universal Exhibition, as indicated in the catalogue for the exhibition Jean-Paul Mazaroz, un artiste et amateur éclairé au temps de Courbet [Jean-Paul Mazaroz, an enlightened artist and amateur at the time of Courbet] at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lons-le-Saunier in 2003. The piece was a phenomenal success at the Exhibition, and the Ribaillier-Mazaroz company produced numerous copies, always using the same composition. In other words, the two figures were always depicted in the same way as on the original piece of furniture, as described by the Magasin pittoresque: "On the lower left-hand capital is a fisherman holding a net in one hand, a handful of fish and river plants in the other, and wearing fishing tackle on his belt; on the right-hand capital, a hunter throws a hawk on his wrist and holds a beautiful greyhound looking down at a shot bird. He is carrying a bag of game and a trunk". Mazaroz is an unusual character. Born in Lons-le-Saunier and a friend of the painter Gustave Courbet, Paul Mazaroz was a patron of the arts, a sculptor and the author of sociological and economic essays. He joined Ribaillier's studio in Paris and became his partner after marrying his daughter in 1853. This was the beginning of a collaboration that would steer the Ribaillier-Mazaroz factory towards modernity. Following the Universal Exhibition of 1851, Mazaroz discovered the use of machines in cabinet making, as practised by the English. He was the first to use it in France. From then on, he liked to call himself an ‘industrial artist’. This desire to be firmly rooted in his time and its progress led him to publish a photographic collection of his workshop's creations, instead of a simple catalogue of engravings. A supplier to Napoleon III, his company was one of the most prosperous industries of the Second Empire and the Third Republic.