Napoleon III Display Pedestal Att. to A-G Fourdinois, France, Circa 1865

A Louis XVI style wall-side veneered wood pedestal, mounted with fine gilt-bronze ornaments. Topped with “Brèche” marble.

A similar model presented at the 1855 Paris Universal Exhibition Total height : 154 cm (60 5/8 in.) ; Width : 33 x 33 cm (13 x 13 in.) Cup : height 17 cm (6 ¾ in.) Beautiful pair of bronze stands also named Bamboo candelabra. Each rests on three claw feet adorned with lion heads and separated with palms. A bamboo shaped shaft arises from this tripod and is topped with three buds supporting a circular red griotte marble top on which stands a cup in the Ancient style decorated with ivy. The sobriety of the decoration enhances the quality of the bronze cast and the patina shades. The small chains falling from the top animates this work of a sleek design. The model : The design of these stands, inspired from Ancient tripods, is a well-known model in Ferdinand Barbedienne’s production as it was reused many times by the bronze-caster. Designed by the head-decorator Henri Cahieux, this model was edited by the Barbedienne Company as soon as 1855, named Ancient candelabra lamp-holder h. 1m35 and was sold 440 francs. From 1875, these stands were commercialised under the name Bamboo candelabra, tripod, lamp-holder and were offered in three heights : 1m90, 1m70 and 1m35. This model of stand could then be found in all catalogues of the Barbedienne Company. This pair of candelabras allows us to see how F. Barbedienne offered during decades a range of furniture from the designs of his decorator. This type of stand could be seen in different interior decorations of the Second Empire A model similar to ours was presented by the Barbedienne Company at the 1855 Universal Exhibition. For this occasion Empress Eugénie bought it for her toilet at Saint-Cloud Castle. A watercolor by Fortuné de Fournier made in 1860 shows them, set on both sides of a cheval mirror made by the Fourdinois Company. (see photo attached) This model pleased the Empress so much that she ordered two other pairs in 1858 for her boudoirs at Compiègne and Fontainebleau Palaces. Otherwise similar stands took place in the Pompeiian house built in 1856 by the architect Alfred Normand (1822-1909) for Prince Napoléon. Several pictures and engravings of this house show us these candelabras used...

Important two-tiered sideboard attributed to H.A. Fourdinois made in natural and carved wood : the lower part made up of four panels, two concave ones and two doors, richly ornated with a polychrome enameled floral decoration and gilt bronze plaques. A large dual drawer is surmounted by the upper part of the sideboard, opening with two glazed doors, framed by detached columns. The entire unit is topped with a pediment onto which a female bust is carved in relief within a medallion on a gilt background. With a matching set of twelve chairs. The Forney library in Paris preserves order registers of the Fourdinois as well as sketches books and pictures representing pieces of furniture made by the Fourdinois workshops. In this documentation, some elements enable us to link this sideboard with Henri-Auguste Fourdinois’ productions, such as the large scrolls linking the upper part to the lower part of the sideboard, as well as the detached columns carved at their lower third. (picture n°1 attached) Notebook containing ink-sketches coming from the Fourdinois workshop shows a project for a pelmet, beautified with a centering trophy composed of a torch and a quiver within in a foliage wreath, this motif obviously reused by the Fourdinois on the central decoration of the panels of our sideboard. (picture n°2 attached) The firm of Fourdinois, considered during the Second Empire as the greatest furniture manufacturer in Paris, was founded in 1835 by Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois (1799-1871). It was developped in the context of the Expositions Universelles. At the time, the firm already produces furniture of the Neo-Renaissance style, such as a dresser that won the Great Medal at the London Universal Exhibition of 1851. The son, Henri-Auguste Fourdinois (1830-1907), joined the firm in 1860 and will become head of the firm in 1867. The high quality of his designs was remarked at the Universal Exhibition in 1862, when the jury awarded him two medals « for Excellence of Composition and Execution ». Henri-Auguste, now sole in charge, brought the firm to the summit of its achievements at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris by winning the Grand Prize for his stand. Apart from the commissions he executed for the « Mobilier de la Couronne », he also produced high quality furniture for the Parisian bourgeoisie. The firm is at its zenith during the years 1862-1880. At this time, it is considered as an example to follow for other cabinet-makers, whether they are French, British or American. Through the quality of execution and the extreme care taken in the decoration of furniture, H.-A. Fourdinois was particularly appreciated by Napoleon III and Eugenie...

Measures: Height : 29 cm (11,4 in.) ; width : 61,5 cm (24,2 in.) ; depth : 55,5 cm (21,8 in.) Total height : 139 cm (54,7 in.) Important pair of rare Greek...

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Rare Japanese style cylinder desk in tinted and carved wood, richly engraved on all sides with foliage, cherry branches and geometric interlacing. Surmounted by two asymmetrical shelves, the cylinder is decorated with an engraved dragon. Opening this cylinder reveals many compartments with adjustable dimensions, a drawer with engraved decoration and letter storage. The cylinder sides can open laterally, allowing a larger area for working and writing. The lower part of the desk is formed on the left by five superimposed drawers decorated with geometric interlacing and carved branches, as well as Japanese characters, deer and mother-of-pearl foliage. On the right, there is a drawer and a door decorated with carved leaves and mother-of-pearl interlacing, revealing four drawers forming compartments. An ingenious mechanism makes it possible, when the cylinder is closed with a key, to completely lock the desk. Gabriel Viardot career began as a wood carver and he produced small furniture, sculpturally carved with naturalistic motifs and animals. In the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris, his finely sculpted objects were well received. However, with the increasing importation of similarly produced Swiss and German articles, he found less opportunity for these and decided to innovate. G. Viardot succeeded to his father’s business in 1861 installed rue Rambuteau in Paris. Around 1870 he turned to the idea of producing « Meubles genre Chinois et Japonais ». The taste in Europe for exotic furniture, incorporating sometimes authentic Chinese or Japanese objects...

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