Pair of Large Carved Oak Boiserie Elements from Normandy, France, Circa 1880

This fabulous hand-carved boiseries or wooden panel was recently purchased from the Chateau St. Maclou in Normandy, France. Rooms of boiseries had design motifs that were kept the same throughout the entire area that was paneled. For instance, on this panel, there are mainly acanthus leaf motifs used in various areas. A medieval lion...

Recently discovered at a property in the outskirts of Paris where they were used as garden ornaments (they were most likely originally part of larger garden urns or an architectural ...

Hand carved during the reign of Louis XVI, this linden wood and oak plaque was originally a boiserie panel that would have adorned the wall of a French manor...

Found in a chateau in Loriol du Comtat, in the Provence region of France, this large-scale plaster sculpture is signed and dated by the artist, making it a rare find. Originally part of a boiserie containing a fireplace, the sculpture decorated the main hall of the chateau. The artist, Marius Sain, created the piece for the owners of the chateau in 1914. The lovely depiction of a shepherdess and her flock is a fitting subject for an area of France in which shepherding is such an important part of the culture. The preserved heritage of transhumance in Provence goes back at least 800 years, as evidenced by collections of ancient songs, stories, and art. Life-size in scale, the lovely sculpture features a mix of high-, mid-, and low-relief embellishments. A hooded shepherdess tends to her flock of sheep with a crook in hand. A dog sits calmly at her feet as the flock gathers in front of them. Both the shepherdess and the dog are in high relief, as is the lead sheep. The lamb seen suckling from the front sheep was crafted in mid relief, as is the visible head on the far right of the sculpture. There are a few sheep behind them in low relief. Large trees can be seen on either side of the group, while off in the background (faintly visible) are a castle with four fastigiate Mediterranean cypress trees (known as Stricta) and a spired church. The attention to detail is magnificent, with textured surfaces including the animals’ fur and the uneven ground. A previous owner (recently) had an iron and limestone stand created for displaying purposes. The cream-colored limestone has been cut into three pieces and is inset into the six-legged iron frame. Block print on the plaster can be seen just above the edge of the stand. The letters read Le Soir, which is French for “The Night”. The right side of the sculpture has been signed “M Sain 1914”. Marius Joseph Sain was born in 1877 in Avignon, France. In 1902, Sain moved to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Through introductions by his older brother and painter, Paul...

Originally part of an antique armoire, these oak doors were hand carved in France during the 1600s. The beautiful doors are rectilinear in theme, with ...

These beautiful French Baroque angels are over 350 years old, having been hand-carved in oak circa 1670. Oak was the predominate wood used for making furniture up through the 1700s. ...

An outstanding and stunning pair of 18th century Lead Fountain Elements from the South of France. Beautifully crafted from lead ornamented with beaut...

An exquisite pair of 17th century decorative sculptures expertly carved from painted oak from the South of France. Beautiful "S" shaped each adorned with wonderful flowers - roses, s...

Africa, 2 decorative elements in polychrome wood around 1950.

A gold-brown, vintage Asian pair of tall architectural elements made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood, designed and produced by an unknown artist from Myanmar in good condition. The d...

A pair of unique Gio Ponti wood panels from the furniture of the Hotel Royal in Naples, 1955. Manufactured by Giordano Chiesa by Dassi. cherrywood thick edge with owl's beak these pi...

Fine quality antique carved marble recumbent lions after models by Antonio Canova. Architectural elements most likely part of a larger element or grouping.