“BACCHUS”, 1885-1889
Plate, enamel on copper
Signed on the reserve in gold: Bapst et Falize Dixit and L. Hirtz.
18 cm. diameter
Lucien Hirtz started to work as a “artiste décorateur” for Bapst et Falize in 1885 then joined the firm of Boucheron in 1893 where he remained until 1925.
The Stieglitz Museum in St. Petersburg has two other plates by Hirtz for Bapst et Falize.
His works are in several museums including the musée d'Orsay, the musée du Petit Palais, the musée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges and major private collections.
SMALL CUP, CIRCA 1900
Copper with a polychrome enameled design of violets and leaves
Signed in enamel under the base
4.8 cm. height
8.9 cm. diameter
The Kunstgewerbe Museum de Berlin keeps in its collection an enameled cup decorated with autumn
leaves and berries, signed and located Les-Essarts-Le-Roy. See: Wolfgang Scheffler Werke um 1900,
Kunstgewerbe Museum Berlin, 1966, page 31
SMALL BALUSTER VASE, CIRCA 1900
Translucent polychrome enamels in light relief with a stylised design of flowers and leaves
Signed Georges-Jean / LES ESSARTS-LE-ROI / S. and O.
11.7 cm. height
LORGNETTE, CIRCA 1900
Horn, with an applied decoration of silver and enamel butterflies, cut-glass set
with silver stones simulating stars, two opals set with silver holding the mount in vermeil
Bearing the silversmith and maker’s marks
COVERED BOX, CIRCA 1885
Cloisonné enamel and gold on a soft paste porcelain
Signed in enamel with the artist’s monogram
9 cm. diameter
Exhibition Sèvres – Élégance du 20ème siècle, Tokyo Metropolitan Tein Art Museum, 2 October-19 December 1993, p. 67, n. 5 in the exhibition catalogue
Bibliography Revue des Arts décoratifs, 1886, p. 377 and p. 381, Les artistes décorateurs – Fernand Thesmar by Victor Champier, illustration of two other enamelled covered boxes
“L'ENLEVEMENT D'EUROPE”, CIRCA 1880
Enamel on copper
10 x 12.5 cm
After the right hand side of the painting titled “L'enlèvement d'Europe”, circa 1869 by Gustave Moreau and kept at the Musée d'Orsay
Bibliography
The painting illustrated in: Pierre-Louis Mathieu “Gustave Moreau / Monographie et nouveau catalogue de l'Oeuvre achevé“, ACR édition, 1998, page 58
VASE “SIX BUTTERFLIES”, CIRCA 1900
Copper, decorated with six highlighted butterflies, small circles and flowering branches
The mount in chased silver with a vegetal decor
Signed
25 cm. high
PILLBOX, CIRCA 1900
Sèvres porcelain; the enterlaced letters M, A, R, I and E on the cover in enamel and gilt cloisonné;
the mount in silver gilt
Marked A MARIE THESMAR 1908 in gold letters, and with the artist’s monogram Inside
5 cm. diameter
Bibliography L’Estampille, L’Objet d’Art, n. 76, January 1994, ill. p. 50
MEDALLION, UNIQUE PIECE, CIRCA 1900
Medallion with the portrait of a woman (by G. Debillemont-Chardon) encircled in a silver mount decorated with plique-à-jour enamels and opal cabochons; the chain in gold
The medallion signed lower right and the mount signed Cte DU SUAU / DE LA CROIX
10.5 cm. diameter
Exhibition
Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, 1903 Exposition de la Parure précieuse de la Femme, Musée Galliéra, 1908
Bibliography L’Art Décoratif aux Expositions des Beaux-Arts, 1ère exposition, 1903, pl. 253 Exposition de la Parure précieuse de la Femme, Musée Galliéra, Librairie d’Art décoratif, 1908, Armand Guérinet éditeur, pl. 65
VASE, CIRCA 1900
Silver with an enamelled decor of wisteria flowers; gilt bronze mount attributed to Keller Frères
Signed
32 cm. high
After heading René Lalique’s enamelling atelier for seven years and working a short while for Lucien Falize, he establishes himself
in 1898 and starts exhibiting at major events. International recognition, prizes and praise soon followed.
As early as 1898, his exhibit at the New Gallery in London was completely sold out, all the pieces were acquired by museums
and English amateurs. The same year the French state acquires a vase and continued to do so the following years.
Museums all over Europe and as far as Japan bought his designs. He was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1900.
His production includes jewellery and objets d’art in either translucent enamels or enamels applied to gold, silver or copper.
His early palette of colours centers on subdued and pale greens, blues and lilac yet turned more vivid and colourful after 1904.
His shapes are classic and elegant not overwhelmingly and freely organic. Just like his mentor Lalique, he drew his inspiration from
animals (peacocks, swans, swallows, hippocampus and other fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, snakes, bats and scarabs)
and nature with a predilection for the plants and flowers in vogue (thistles, lillies, wisterias, poppies, mimosa, eucalyptus,
chrysanthemums, umbels, honesty leaves) and mythology (Ophelia, Juno). He died in 1916 fighting for his country in World War One.
POWDER COMPACT, 1895
Polychrome enamel; gold mounted on a Sèvres porcelain. Inside the cotton is decorated with an enamelled ladybug on a gold bud
Signed with the monogram and bearing the inscription: Faite pour Antonia Howard Trip 1895.
Three initials are entangled in the design
6.7 cm. diameter
The same decor is found on a small box exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1900
CUP, CIRCA 1900
Openwork white porcelain; polychrome enamelled
The rim, base and the decor are highlighted with gold
Signed with the monogram of the artist
8.5 cm. high
Exhibition Jugendstil aus Münchener Privatbesitz, Museum Villa Stuck, Münich 1972, n. 47
Provenance
Private collection Prof. Kurt Liebermeister, Munich
BOWL, 1900
Soft-paste porcelain, decorated with plique-à-jour mimosas heightened
with yellow and green enamels
Gilt monogram under the base and 1900 incised
12.5 cm. diameter
Exhibition
Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900
Bibliography Werke um 1900, Kunstkewerbemuseum, Berlin, 1966, p. 55, n. 71
CUP, CIRCA 1900
Soft-paste porcelain, with a floral motif heightened
by red enamel and relief gold highlights
Gilt monogram under the base
6.7 cm. high
BOWL, CIRCA 1900
Soft-paste porcelain, with a vine motif heightened by enamel,
the rim, the foot and the decor with gold highlights
Gilt monogram under the base
8.5 cm. diameter
“LEDA”, CIRCA 1900
Enamel on copper representing Leda and the Swan, probably after the model by Leonardo da Vinci
Original black wooden frame highlighted with gold
Signed lower right and left and bearing a label Email de A. Garnier – Léda at the back
32 x 26 cm.
“WOMAN IN LANDSCAPE AT SUNSET”, CIRCA 1889
Enamel on copper, after a design by Gustave Moreau
Signed lower left Garnier Grandhomme inv.
and marked on the reverse Grandhomme Garnier / Emailleurs / 1889 / Paris
8 x 12.5 cm.
Bibliography
Taxile Doat, Causerie d'un émailleur, Revue des Arts Décoratifs, 1891, ill. p. 78
