Ref.10491
Important Louis XVI style gilt bronze clock with solar mask, Napoleon 3 period

This very beautiful Louis XVI style clock was made around 1880. Its ornamentation of gilt bronze is very rich, from the pedestal to the Medicis Vase which crowns the whole. The dial, enamelled with hours in Roman numerals and seconds in arabic numerals, is framed by small rosettes. The pendulum in the form of a solar mask, referring to the god Apollo and to the time defined by the sun's rush, is chiseled with finesse and framed by two pilasters. Finally, the whole composition is decorated with garlands and acanthus leaves describing beautiful scrolls.

Ref.4766
Musgrave & Co mannheim - Enameled cast iron stove adorned with views of important buildings in the Palatinate, Germany, circa 1900

This original Art Nouveau style enameled cast iron stove is a German work of the company Musgrave & Co dating from the beginning of the 20th century. Product of the industrial revolution, Musgrave & Co. was an Irish company making stoves located in Belfast. Founded in the mid 1840’s as a hardware merchant, it quickly develops a patent on the stove with slow combustion adapted to barns. In 1899, the brand was became widely known and a second factory was built in Mannheim, in Germany, with added exhibition rooms in Paris and Frankfort. Not only has settled and furnished the heat system for the Impress Frederic of Germany’s stables, but also for the King of Spain, and many British lords. Germany had a particularly enthusiast clientele for the very decorative stoves models as ours, it was also the only country in which they were sold. The decoration of our stove pays tribute to the Palatinate region as indicates the inscription «  Fröhlich Pfalz Gott erhalt's » literally meaning Happy Palatinate God saves it, through representation of emblematic monuments of the region. Indeed, we can recognize on the main side, the Speyer Cathedral, built in 1030 by Conrad II (v.990-1039) today registered in the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Also, it is the biggest Roman cathedral of the world. On the right side, is depicted the Godesburg castle, built in the 13th century on a volcanic hill and partially destroyed after the 1583 siege in the beginning of the Cologne War. Finally, we can see on the left side the Tower of Andernach, defensive tower built between 1440 and 1453.

Ref.13601
ESCALIER DE CRISTAL, Porcelain Serving Dish Decorated with a Crayfish, circa 1880

This porcelain serving dish adorned with a crayfish was made for L’Escalier de Cristal around 1880. Founded around 1808 by the widow Désarnaud, the prestigious L’Escalier de Cristal house was taken over by Pierre Isidore Lahoche and then by his associate, Émile Pannier, in 1863. In 1872, the store moved to the newly developed district around the Paris Opéra, under the supervision of Baron Haussmann. Émile Pannier’s two sons, Georges and Henry, succeeded him in 1885. The store closed its doors in 1923. This piece is a porcelain serving dish. It is a small stand where cakes, for instance, could be placed. The use of this item follows the tradition of the 18th century, when “silent servants” replaced domestic servants for more privacy. The shapes of this serving dish are reminiscent of some clichés of Rococo art: two different shell motifs with scalloped, yet regular and symmetrical, edges face each other; the whole piece is topped with a crayfish, a motif present in some masterpieces of Rococo art, such as the tureens from the centerpiece designed by Juste Aurèle Meissonnier for the Duke of Kingston in 1735. Émile Pannier and then his sons sought to follow the trends of their time while maintaining the high quality that made the store’s reputation. They embraced the fascination with East Asian arts that arose in the second half of the 19th century following Japan’s participation in the 1867 Universal Exhibition, a phenomenon known as “Japonism”. This trend caused a true revolution in Western art, strongly influencing many European artists across all fields. This piece is a testament to that influence: the ornamentation of butterflies and birds on flowering branches against a white background mimics the deliberate lack of depth characteristic of Japanese prints, while the crayfish resembles certain prints by Hiroshige depicting crustaceans. The L’Escalier de Cristal stamp under the base allows us to date the piece between 1872, when the store moved to the listed addresses, and 1885, when the brand was taken over by Émile’s sons under the name “Pannier frères”. The fusion of Rococo and Japanese art influences results in a truly unique object of great delicacy, worthy of being counted among the prestigious creations of L’Escalier de Cristal.

Ref.14967
Jean-Charles CHABRIÉ, Vendetta, Salon of 1888

This marble bas-relief entitled “Vendetta” was created by Jean-Charles Chabrié before 1888. The painter and sculptor Jean-Charles Chabrié (1842-1897) was a student of François Jouffroy for sculpture (which he practiced as his primary art form) and Vincent Chevilliard for painting. He exhibited regularly at the Salon between 1868 and 1888 and was awarded a prize in 1870 for his plaster work Rêverie d’Enfant (1874, marble at the Museum of Picardie in Amiens), which reflects his fondness for childlike themes. Vendetta is a bas-relief framed within an integrated structure. At its center, a putto is suspended from a hook by a ribbon that passes under its arms and ties at the front, unfolding in an elegant movement. Its wrists are also bound by cords attached to nails. The putto holds a rose in its right hand. On the ground lie a discarded bow and arrows; the quiver is secured with a ribbon that unfurls to display the letters of the title. The work is signed at the bottom right. Chabrié plays here with the contrast between the chosen theme and the way it is depicted. A vendetta typically refers to a personal revenge that often ends in violence or even murder, yet here it is an innocent and dejected-looking putto being punished. It might symbolize Love, defeated by an unhappy lover, as suggested by the bow and arrows on the ground and the rose in its hand. The use of tied ribbons adds a sense of softness and charm, further emphasized by the presence of a flower and a dragonfly in low relief in the background. This low-relief was exhibited at the Salon of 1888 under entry number 3896.

Ref.15730
Félix Optat MILET, Large enamelled dish on a gold background, 19th century

This beautiful dish with a gold background and flower decoration signed “Milet Sèvres” was made by Félix Optat Milet in polychrome enamelled ceramic and gold background. It is treated in the manner of a cloisonné. This technique was also used by his son Paul. Félix Optat MILET (ceramist) RICHARD (decorator), Large circular decorative dish with polychrome enamelled flowers on a gold background, ©Osenat. All rights reserved. Paul MILET, Polychrome enamelled ceramic ovoid vase decorated with violets on a gold leaf background, c. 1900, ©Art-K-Typ. All rights reserved. The two plates respectively feature a group of white lilies contrasting with the coloured irises at their feet (red, mauve, blue and pink) on the one hand, and a dragonfly close to a fuchsia plant on the other hand. Félix Optat Milet (1838-1911) descended from a line of potters from the village of Bully. In 1862, he joined the Manufacture de Sèvres as a modeller, joining his brother Ambroise, director of kilns and pastes. Optat then became a decorator. In 1866, after applying to the Sèvres Town Hall, he built a kiln very close to the Manufacture. This independent business enabled him to fire his own earthenware and stoneware, which was sold in the shop attached to the factory, and to employ turners, decorators and sales staff. Paul Milet took over from his father at the head of the company in 1890, followed by his grandson Henri Milet in 1931. The company closed in 1971. At the 1889 Universal Exhibition, Milet won a gold medal for a very large pair of vases (1.3 metres high). It was also in the 1880s that Félix Optat Milet and Clément Massier founded the Delvaux boutique (18, rue royale, Paris), which continued until the 1970s. Throughout his career, Félix Optat Milet benefited from his collaborations with the artists of his time and from his own creativity.