French Art Nouveau "Magnolia" Desk by, Louis Majorelle
About the Item
- Creator:Louis Majorelle (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 38.25 in (97.16 cm)Depth: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)
- Style:Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1901
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Englewood, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8888779950
Louis Majorelle
Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, more commonly known as Louis Majorelle, was a French artist, metalworker and Art Nouveau designer celebrated for his bedroom furniture, cabinets, chairs and decorative objects.
In 1877, Majorelle moved to Paris from the town of Nancy where he began his studies in painting under Jean-François Millet at the École de Beaux Arts. Following the death of his father, a furniture designer, he returned to Nancy and took over the family workshop. Parisian architect Henri Sauvage designed Majorelle’s house in Nancy, Villa Majorelle, which featured stained glass by Jacques Gruber.
In order to increase productivity and reduce costs — as well as shift the family business’s focus from reproductions of 18th-century furniture such as Louis XV chairs to instead working in the era’s Art Nouveau style — Majorelle integrated modern techniques and processes at his atelier (these changes were in part inspired by innovative glassmaker Emile Gallé).
The workshop became known for Majorelle’s distinctive designs and the pronounced craftsmanship of its offerings. There were tables made from mahogany and ormolu that featured handsome bronze mounts and marquetry, table lamps that shared common ground with the prized designs associated with Tiffany Studios, and decorative pieces that Majorelle produced in partnership with Daum, a revered manufacturer of French art glass.
The work was very much characterized by the botanical motifs and curvaceous silhouettes of Art Nouveau design, and the business was successful. Majorelle produced a range of items during the early 1900s and was a participant in the 1900 Paris Exposition as well as the Exposition de l'Ecole de Nancy in 1903.
In 1916, a devastating fire broke out in Majorelle’s factory on the rue du Vieil-Aître in Nancy. It destroyed all of the company’s awards, sketches, molds, equipment and archives of Majorelle’s work. In 1917, destruction again shook his business when his shop on the rue Saint-Georges was bombed by German aircraft. The designer marched on — he relocated to Paris where he shared a workspace and created vases and other vessels in the Art Deco style before he moved back to Nancy. Majorelle designed the Nancy Pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 with Alfred Lévy. He died in 1926.
Find antique Louis Majorelle cabinets, seating and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Englewood, NJ
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- A French Art Nouveau Carved & Inlaid Marquetry Side Table by, Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Englewood, NJA French Art Nouveau carved wood and inlaid exotic wood marquetry tri-cornered occasional table by Louis Majorelle, decorated with an inlaid marquetry top with leaf and berry exotic ...Category
20th Century French Art Nouveau Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- French Art Nouveau Marquetry Server by, Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Englewood, NJFrench Art Nouveau carved mahogany and bronze server by, Louis Majorelle decorated with fully carved floral rails, exotic fruitwood marquetry door with f...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sideboards
- French Art Nouveau Pedestal by, Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Englewood, NJFrench Art Nouveau carved mahogany and burled walnut three tier display pedestal by, Louis Majorelle. The selette is signed, "L Majorelle Nancy."Category
20th Century French Pedestals
- Pair of French Art Nouveau Armchairs by, Louis Majorelle Arm ChairsBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Englewood, NJA pair of Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau carved wood "Aubépine" armchairs by, Louis Majorelle. Both chairs are decorated on their back edges, arms, legs and skirt with carved hawthorn leaves and berry decoration upholstered in a off/cream white light snake pattern. circa 1905 Measurements: height: 32.25 in. (81.92 cm) x width: 36.75 in. (93.35 cm) x depth: 21 in. (53.34 cm) Condition: chairs are in overall very good condition with light wear. Fabric is not period. Literature: Similar chairs are pictured in: -Majorelle - Nancy: décorations d'INTÉRIEURS: meubles, tentures, bronzes, ferronneries (the 1906 Majorelle catalogue), and in: Louis Majorelle: Master of Art Nouveau design, by Alastair Duncan, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991, p. 200. -Alastair Duncan, Louis Majorelle: Master of Art Nouveau Design, London, 1991, pp. 167, 183 and 200 -Majorelle: Un Art de Vivre Moderne, exh. cat., Musée de l'École de Nancy, France, 2009, p. 130 Biography : Louis Majorelle, (France; 1859 – 1926) born as Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle was a French decorator and furniture designer who manufactured his own designs, in the French tradition of the ébéniste. He was one of the outstanding designers of furniture in the Art Nouveau style, and after 1901 formally served as one of the vice-presidents of the École de Nancy. The Majorelle firm's factory was designed by famous École de Nancy architect Lucien Weissenburger (1860 – 1929) and located at 6, rue du Vieil-Aître in the western part of Nancy. In the 1880s Majorelle turned out pastiches of Louis XV furniture styles, which he exhibited in 1894 at the Exposition d'Art Décoratif et Industriel [Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Art] in Nancy, but the influence of the glass- and furniture-maker Emile Gallé (1846 – 1904) inspired him to take his production in new directions. Beginning in the 1890s, Majorelle's furniture, embellished with inlays, took their inspiration from nature: stems of plants, waterlily leaves, tendrils, dragonflies. Before 1900 he added a metalworking atelier to the workshops, to produce drawerpulls and mounts in keeping with the fluid lines of his woodwork. His studio also was responsible for the ironwork of balconies, staircase railings...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- 20th Century French Art Nouveau "Fleurs d'Aubépine" Vitrine by, Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Englewood, NJAn early 20th century fine and rare French Art Nouveau carved and inlaid Marquetry "Fleurs d'Aubépine" (Hawthorne flowers) walnut single door display cabinet by, French Master Furnit...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Vitrines
MaterialsBronze
- Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Carved Wall Shelf by, Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Englewood, NJEarly 20th century French Art Nouveau carved wood "Les Blés" (The Wheat) pattern wall shelf by, Louis Majorelle decorated with two shallow display shelves further carved with "Les Blés" (Wheat) decoration on each bend. The shelf is ready to hang. circa 1905. Measurements: height: 20 in. x width: 28.75 in. x depth: 6.25 in. Notes: Objects Diplayed Are Not Included Biography: Louis Majorelle, (Toul, 26 September 1859 – Nancy, 15 January 1926) born as Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle was a French decorator and furniture designer who manufactured his own designs, in the French tradition of the ébéniste. He was one of the outstanding designers of furniture in the Art Nouveau style, and after 1901 formally served as one of the vice-presidents of the École de Nancy. The Majorelle firm's factory was designed by famous École de Nancy architect Lucien Weissenburger (1860 – 1929) and located at 6, rue du Vieil-Aître in the western part of Nancy. In the 1880s Majorelle turned out pastiches of Louis XV furniture styles, which he exhibited in 1894 at the Exposition d'Art Décoratif et Industriel [Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Art] in Nancy, but the influence of the glass- and furniture-maker Emile Gallé (1846 – 1904) inspired him to take his production in new directions. Beginning in the 1890s, Majorelle's furniture, embellished with inlays, took their inspiration from nature: stems of plants, waterlily leaves, tendrils, dragonflies. Before 1900 he added a metalworking atelier to the workshops, to produce drawerpulls and mounts in keeping with the fluid lines of his woodwork. His studio also was responsible for the ironwork of balconies, staircase railings...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- French Mahogany Art Nouveau Writing Desk Signed Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Vancouver, British ColumbiaSigned ‘Louis Majorelle’ Art Nouveau desk with the sinuous lines and curves typical of the style. Four curved-front drawers retaining their original ormol...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsOrmolu
- French Mahogany Art Nouveau Writing Desk Signed Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in Vancouver, British ColumbiaSigned ‘Louis Majorelle’ Art Nouveau desk with the sinuous lines and curves typical of the style. Four curved-front drawers retaining their original ormolu Art Nouveau pulls...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsOrmolu
- French Art Nouveau Table by Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in New York, NYA French Art Nouveau mahogany salon table with fruitwood marquetry by Louis Majorelle. The table top is decorated with leaves and vines. The legs have carved flowers, circa 1900. ...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Side Tables
MaterialsFruitwood
- Desk Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Liberty - Attributed Louis Majorelle - 1900By Louis MajorelleLocated in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, CDesk Attributed Louis Majorelle Style: Art Nouveau or Modernism or Jugendstil Year: 1900 Materials : Furniture glass paste, bronze and wood. Painted flowers We have specialized in t...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBronze
- Louis Majorelle French Art Nouveau TableBy Louis MajorelleLocated in New York, NYA French Art Nouveau mahogany two-tiered square table by Louis Majorelle, featuring featuring a detailed border on the top tier and gilt bronze sabots on the legs. A similar ta...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Side Tables
MaterialsBronze
- French Art Nouveau Triangular Table by Louis MajorelleBy Louis MajorelleLocated in New York, NYA triangluar French Art Nouveau table by Louis Majorelle. This two-tiered triangular table is made of mahogany. Its carved legs are finished with gilt bronze sabots, circa 1910. A s...Category
Vintage 1910s French Art Nouveau Side Tables
MaterialsBronze