HECTOR GUIMARD – PLANTER, CIRCA 1900

PLANTER, CIRCA 1900
Cast iron
51.5 x 70.5 x 46.5 cm.
37 kg.

Similar model:
Houston, USA, “The Menil Collection”, inv. 71-53 DJ.
The Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art, Japon, inv. ANF-241101

Exhibition
Paris, Hector Guimard; fontes artistiques, galerie du Luxembourg, 1971, ill. p. 39, n. 80
Houston, Rice Museum et The Art Institute of Chicago, 1976, Art Nouveau Belgium France,
ill. 450, n. 696
Paris, Guimard, Musée d’Orsay, 1992, ill. p. 354, n. 24

Bibliography
Fontes artistiques pour constructions, Fumisterie, Articles de Jardin et Sépultures, Saint-Dizier, 1907, pl. 41, modèle GD

“Cette coupe figure dans la première édition du catalogue des Fontes Artistiques de la fonderie de Saint-Dizier, exclusivement consacrée aux fontes pour « constructions, fumisterie, jardins et sépultures » créées par Guimard. Certains des modèles de ce catalogue datent de 1901, d’autres de la période 1903-1905, mais la plupart ont été créés entre 1905 et 1909. C’est à cette dernière date que paraît le premier catalogue et que débute la commercialisation de ces fontes. La coupe GD est présentée sur la planche 41 dédiée aux « Articles de jardin ». Guimard la place également en situation, surmontant un pilier, sur le dessin de la planche 33 où il donne deux exemples de clôtures de jardin. Lors de la réédition du catalogue, remanié et augmenté vers 1912, une seconde coupe (GE) apparaît sur la planche supplémentaire 42 comme une simplification de la coupe GD par ablation de ses larges anses à la partie supérieure et de ses jambes obliques à la partie inférieure. Les deux coupes sont encore présentes dans les catalogues de la fonderie en 1921, mais elles ont disparu de l’édition de 1935, alors que d’autres articles de jardin comme le vase GA et la jardinière GF sont encore disponibles. Le tirage présenté à l’exposition de la Pinacothèque a une finition granuleuse, comparable à celle de la jardinière GF de la vente Sotheby’s Paris du 16 février 2013. Cette finition apparaît médiocre au regard de celle, beaucoup plus poussée, de nombre de tirages de fontes d’ornement de Guimard que nous connaissons. L’un de nos correspondants, monsieur Tangui Le Lonquer, suggère que si la fonte a longtemps séjourné en extérieur sans bonne protection, elle a pu être couverte d’une couche de rouille plus ou moins incrustée, qu’il a fallu tout d’abord « dérouiller » avec perte de matière, pour ensuite stabiliser la patine afin d’ obtenir un résultat proche de ce que nous voyons. Seul un entretien régulier ou une présentation en intérieur permet d’obtenir, un siècle plus tard, une patine proche de l’origine”. (Le Cercle Guimard, 11 July 2013)

The Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art, Glass, Ceramic and Furniture, Japan, 2010, ill. p. 98, n. 052

HECTOR GUIMARD – MANTELPIECE CIRCA 1900

MANTELPIECE CIRCA 1900
Sculpted marble
Dimension: 100 x 132 x 32 cm

In a letter dated 10th December 2023, Frederic Descouturelles, Secretary of the Guimard Circle, informs us that the marble fireplaces designed for the Castel Beranger and illustrated on plate 40 in the portfolio, Guimard did not provide specific designs for cast iron inserts. These were simple white earthenware bevelled plates.

Bibliography
Le Castel Béranger, Librairie Rouam & Cie, ill. pl. 40

LOUIS MAJORELLE – “AUX ORCHIDEES” DESK AND IT’S ARMCHAIR, CIRCA 1903-1905

“AUX ORCHIDEES” DESK AND ITS ARMCHAIR, CIRCA 1903-1905
Mahogany, gilt and chased bronze
The desk: 95 x 151 x 70 cm.
The armchair: 80 x 77 x 65 cm.

Similar example is to be found at the musée d’Orsay and another one in the Ferdinand Neess’ collection at the Wiesbaden Museum.

Exhibition
Société des Artistes Décorateurs, Paris, 1907

Bibliography
Carl Benno Heller, Art Nouveau Meubles, Imprimerie des Arts et Manufactures, Paris, 1990 Berghaus Verlag, the chair is illustrated p. 85.
Roselyne Bouvier, Majorelle, La Bibliothèque des Arts, Paris, 1991, p. 192, n°208, illustration of the base of the desk at the Musée d’Orsay
Alastair Duncan, Majorelle, Flammarion, 1991, ill. pl. 48 (example at the musée d’Orsay)
Anne-Marie Quette, Le Mobilier Français Art Nouveau 1900, Massin, 1995, ill. p. 43 (example at the musée d’Orsay)
Gabriele Fahr-Becker, Il Modernismo, h.f. Ullmann, 2004, ill. pp. 118 & 119
Radikal Schön Jugendstil und Symbolismus, Die Sammlung Ferdinand Wolfgang Neess, Wiesbaden Museum, 2019, ill. p. 144

HECTOR GUIMARD (1867-1942) – PAIR OF CORNER VITRINES, CIRCA 1895-1899

PAIR OF CORNER VITRINES, CIRCA 1895-1899
Mahogany, light mahogany. The frame, the uprights and panels are delicately sculpted with vegetal stylized trims
The hingers and keys in gilt bronze with a vegetal design
200 x 46.5 x 42 cm.

A comparable vitrine at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Bibliography
La Revue d’Art, 1ère année, November 1899, illustrated on a photograph

Provenance
Hotel Guimard built in 1910
Acquired directly by the merchants Plantin and Blondelin in the 1960s
Pierre Hebey, Paris
Cabinet d’expertises Camard, 2001

EUGENE VALLIN – RARE MANTLEPIECE MIRROR FRAME, CIRCA 1900

RARE MANTLEPIECE MIRROR FRAME, CIRCA 1900
Carved wood and gilt stucco designed as “laser ribolum” leaves
174 x 110 cm.
Restored

Bibliography
Frédéric Descouturelles, Eugène Vallin Menuisier d’art de l’école de Nancy, imprimerie moderne, December 1998, ill. p. 84

EUGENE VALLIN – JACQUES GRUBER – FIRESCREEN, CIRCA 1900

FIRESCREEN, CIRCA 1900
Carved walnut with inlaid panels of etched glass with clematis flowers and leaves
123.5 cm. high; 104.5 cm. wide

Bibliography
Frédéric Descouturelle, Eugène Vallin, Menuisier d’Art de l’Ecole de Nancy, Imprimerie Moderne, Pont-à-Mousson, 1998, a variation of the design ill. p. 209
Victor Arwas, Art Nouveau: The French Aesthetic, Andreas Papadakis publisher, 2002, ill. p. 320

EUGENE GAILLARD – “TREFLE” LOWER TABLE, 1913

“TREFLE” LOWER TABLE, 1913
Padouk wood and walnut with four nesting tables
70 x 70 cm.

Another example of this design is in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

Exhibition
SAD, Paris 1913

Bibliography
M. P.-Verneuil, Le Salon de la Société des Artistes Décorateurs, Art et Décoration, January 1913, p. 96
Laurence Buffet-Challié, Le Modern Style, Baschet et Cie éditeurs, Paris, n.d., ill. p. 53
Anne-Marie Quette, Le Mobilier Français – Art Nouveau 1900, éditions Massin, 1995, ill. p. 57

EMILE GALLE – “AUX CAMPANULES” NEST OF FOUR OCCASIONAL TABLES, CIRCA 1900

“AUX CAMPANULES” NEST OF FOUR OCCASIONAL TABLES, CIRCA 1900
Graduated in size, sculpted wood, the tops inlaid in various woods, including rosewood, with magnolia, daisies and other flowers and leaves
Each signed Gallé
The largest: 75 cm. high; 70.5 cm. wide; 42 cm. deep

Bibliography
A table with the same sculpted decor is illustrated in: Gallé furniture, Antique collectors club, 2012,
p. 174

EMILE GALLE – RARE AND IMPORTANT CABINET, CIRCA 1900

RARE AND IMPORTANT CABINET, CIRCA 1900
Exotic marquetry inlaid wood, decorated with dragonflies and flowers, the front adorned with a dragonfly in relief
Signed
137 cm. high; 83 cm. wide; 44 cm. deep

Bibliography
Alastar Duncan, Georges de Bartha, Gallé Furniture, Antique Collectors’ club, 2012, ill. p. 292

EMILE GALLE – “BERCE DES PRES” LADIES DESK, CIRCA 1900

“BERCE DES PRES” LADIES DESK, CIRCA 1900
Variation of “Les Ombellules” desk exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1900
Exotic marquetry inlaid wood, with botanical decor
With its key in gilt bronze
Signed GALLE

Bearing a paper label from the 1950/1960s on which can be read “N°7399 – Salle des Ventes – Santé
Frères et Cie – Pau » with the lot number, its description, the name of the buyer and the price
(the company Santé Frères et Cie put an end to its public sales in 1970)
157 cm. high ; 77 cm. wide ; 55 cm. deep

Exhibition
Exposition Universelle, Paris 1900. A design, which can be compared to our desk, titled “Les Ombellules” by Emile Gallé himself in a publication at the time, was shown by the artist during the event.

Musée d’Orsay, Paris. A “Les Ombellules” desk, comparable to ours, is in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay (inventory OAO 1467 coming from the Rispal donation)

Provenance
This desk was acquired by the former owner at a public auction in the 1950/1960s from the Salle des Ventes Santé Frères et Cie, rue Emile Garet in Pau. This company, which started out with public auction sales, simultaneously as a transporter, right after the post-war years, enrolled a notary or a court bailiff, but lost the office in 1970 when the French government appointed a ministerial officer as an auctioneer in Pau.

EMILE GALLE – TABLE, CIRCA 1900

TABLE, CIRCA 1900
Exotic wood
Removable upper tray
Decorated with aquatic plants and waterlilies on the upper part; flowers, waterlilies and a small frog on the lower part
Signed on upper and lower shelves
82 cm. high; 60 cm. wide; 41.5 cm. deep

EMILE GALLE – “LA FORÊT LORRAINE” DESK, CIRCA 1900

“LA FORÊT LORRAINE” DESK, CIRCA 1900
Exotic marquetry inlaid wood
108 cm. high; 72 cm. wide; 50 cm. deep

Bibliography
An identical model is illustrated in the catalogue L’Ecole de Nancy, Art Nouveau et industrie d’Art, Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy, 2018, p. 96
Alastar Duncan, Georges de Bartha, Gallé Furniture, Antique Collectors' club, 2012, ill. p. 239

EMILE GALLE – “OMBELLES” CHAIRS, CIRCA 1900

“OMBELLES” CHAIRS, CIRCA 1900
Pair of carved walnut chairs
Signed
95 x 47 x 43.3 cm

Bibliography
A. Duncan, Art Nouveau furniture, p. 258, pl. 1.
Philippe Garner, Emile Gallé, 1976, p. 23-24, p. 89
Ministère de la Culture – Edition de la Réunion des musées nationaux, Gallé, 1985, pp. 279-280
Bernd Hakenjos, Emile Gallé, catalog, vol. II, p. 174, n. 329

Provenance
Private collection Belgium

EMILE GALLE – “AUX LIBELLULES ET PAPILLONS” CONSOLE, CIRCA 1900

“AUX LIBELLULES ET PAPILLONS” CONSOLE, CIRCA 1900
Sculpted walnut and exotic wood marquetry, mother-of-pearl inlay and bronze
Signed
138 cm. high; 74 cm. wide; 46 cm. deep

Only one variant of the design is recorded

Bibliography
A. Duncan and G. de Bartha, Gallé Furniture, Antique Collector's Club, 2012, a variant ill. p. 272, pl. 4

Provenance
Private collection, France

EDWARD COLONNA – ART NOUVEAU BING – SALON SUITE, CIRCA 1900

SALON SUITE, CIRCA 1900
Carved mahogany; comprising:
One sofa, two armchairs, two chairs
The sofa: 93 cm. high; 161.5 cm. wide
Each armchair: 101 cm. high; 64 cm. wide
Each chair: 92.5 cm. high; 46 cm. wide

Exhibition
Another example of this salon suite was exhibited at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, Paris, in Siegfried Bing’s pavilion, L’Art Nouveau Bing, with a multitude of artworks including jewellery by Edward Colonna and other furniture and decorative objects by Georges de Feure, Eugène Gaillard and Marcel Bing

TONY SELMERSHEIM – CHARLES PLUMET – DISPLAY TABLE, TWO CHAIRS AND TWO ARMCHAIRS, 1899

DISPLAY TABLE, TWO CHAIRS AND TWO ARMCHAIRS, 1899
Ash and maple veneer
The table: 76 cm. high; 112.7 cm. long; 58.2 cm. deep
Each chair: 92.5 cm. high; 45.5 cm. wide
Each armchair: 96 cm. high; 67.7 cm. wide

Bibliography
L’Art Décoratif, November 1899, the table and a chair ill. p. 70

Provenance
Specially commissioned by the menswear shop “Roddy”, corner of the boulevard des Italiens and rue Drouot in Paris

EUGENE GAILLARD – ART NOUVEAU BING – CHAIR, CIRCA 1900

CHAIR, CIRCA 1900
Carved walnut, tooled, embossed and patinated leather
The model was first presented in the Art Nouveau Bing pavillon at the Exposition Universelle of 1900
105.5 cm. high

Exhibition
Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900

Bibliography
Art et Décoration, August 1900, ill. p. 43 (the leather with a different design)
Renate Ulmer, Art Nouveau Symbolismus und Jugendstil in Frankreich, Arnoldsche, 1999, ill. p. 144, n. 132 (the leather with a different design)

LEON BENOUVILLE – TABLE, CIRCA 1901-1902

TABLE, CIRCA 1901-1902
Mahogany, marquetry and brass table with a floral decor in marquetry
91 cm. high
73 cm. wide
52 cm. deep

Bibliography
Alastair Duncan, Fin de siècle masterpieces from the Silverman collection, 1989, similar example ill. p. 118, n. 58

TONY SELMERSHEIM – CHARLES PLUMET – DESK, CIRCA 1900

DESK, CIRCA 1900
Sculpted pear wood and gilt bronze
131 x 161 x 88 cm.

Exhibition
Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, 1897 for a variation of this design

Bibliography
Art et Décoration, April1897, the model without the side elements ill. p. 107
Der Modern Stil, Julius Hoffmann éditeur, 1899,
vol. I, ill. pl. 64, for the one exhibited at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts
Der Moderne Stil, 1903, ill. pl. 82

GEORGES DE FEURE – LA MAISON MODERNE – ARMCHAIR, CIRCA 1900

ARMCHAIR, CIRCA 1900
Walnut

Bibliography
Meubles de style moderne à l’Exposition Universelle de 1900, Sections française et étrangères,
published under the direction of Th. Lambert, architect, Charles Schmidt éditor, Paris, nd. ill. pl. 17, fig. 2
Ian Millman Georges de Feure Maître du symbolisme et de l’art nouveau, ACR édition, Paris, ill. p. 155
Art Nouveau: An Architectural Indulgence, New Architecture 6 October 2000, Andreas Papadakis publisher,
in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, ill. p. 67
84 cm. high

Exhibition
Exposition Universelle of 1900, Paris

EMILE GALLE – VITRINE, CIRCA 1900

VITRINE, CIRCA 1900
Decorated with marquetry panels and sculptures
of snails, bats, peacock moth and acanthus leaves,
the base entirely sculpted with bats
Signed
191 x 93 x 50 cm.

Another example
The Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art, Japon, inv. n° ANF-360901

Bibliography
The Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art, Glass, Ceramic and Furniture, Japon, 2010, ill. p. 114 & 115
Georges de Bartha & al, Gallé furniture, Antique collectors club, 2012, ill. p. 299