Known for his elaborately carved chinoiserie and Japonisme furniture inspired by East Asian motifs, Gabriel Viardot was one of France’s most famous cabinetmakers during the late 19th century.
Viardot’s career began in 1849 as a woodcarver for Maison Jeanselme, cabinetmakers to the court of Napoleon III. Shortly after, at age 19, Viardot opened his own business, designing and creating small furniture and decorative objects.
In 1853, Viardot’s enterprise grew into a factory and store, Viardot Frères et Cie, which he operated with his brother Alexandre Laurent. The brothers enjoyed moderate success with their finely sculpted pieces and objects, winning a bronze medal at the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris. However, the two parted ways the following year. Alexandre Laurent kept the company, while Viardot began his own firm, called G. Viardot.
Throughout the late 1860s and ’70s, Viardot dedicated himself to designing and producing chinoiserie and Japonisme furniture. Many of his pieces, such as side tables, consoles, pedestal tables and chairs, feature exquisite embellishments in mother-of-pearl, ivory and gilt-bronze and are made with lacquered and embossed panels imported directly from China and Japan. (The art of Japanese lacquer goes back some 9,000 years.) Some of Viardot’s most sculptural creations are his full-length floor mirrors and wall mirrors framed with carved mahogany dragons and cherubs.
Viardot participated in numerous major European exhibitions and fairs, scooping up medals and accolades for his pieces. In 1867, he won four medals at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, followed by a silver medal and gold medal at Antwerp’s Universal Exposition in 1878 and 1884, respectively. He also won gold medals at Paris’s Exposition Universelle in 1889 and 1900. In 1885, Viardot was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.
By 1880, Viardot’s company had become one of the largest furniture manufacturers in Paris, with up to 100 sculptors and cabinetmakers employed. Following his death in 1906, Viardot’s son Gabriel Léon Jules Viardot and son-in-law Georges Isidore Jean Dupont took over operations. However, competition from other furniture makers and the rise of Art Nouveau led to the company’s eventual closure.
Viardot’s pieces continue to be highly sought by interior designers and collectors of late 19th-century furniture.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of antique Gabriel Viardot mirrors, tables and decorative objects.
IMPORTANT ANTiQUE GABRIELD VIARDOT 1830-1906 SIGNED JAPONISME DISPLAY CUPBOARD
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Very rare and important, Museum quality Gabriel Viardot 1830-1906 display cabinet signed to the side G Viardot Paris 1887, finished with Mother of Pearl inlay and Gold Gilt oriental ...
Hardwood, Mother-of-Pearl
$5,900
Bat Plaque
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...
Fruitwood
Art Nouveau Fruitwood Bat Plaque by Gabriel Viardot
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...
Fruitwood
$3,319Sale Price|20% Off
Swivel Bookcase Table with Marble Top by Gabriel Viardot, Japonism, circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Rare pedestal table / bookcase in Japanese / Chinese / Asian style, richly carved. With red marble top, swivel shelves and tripod base carved with dragon / demon heads and clawed le...
Marble
$2,465Sale Price|20% Off
Dragon mirror, by Gabriel Viardot, Japonisme, France, Circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
By Gabriel Viardot. Gabriel Viardot (January 2, 1830 in Paris - March 19, 1904 in Paris) is a Parisian cabinetmaker specializing in the production of furniture freely interpreted "C...
Mirror, Wood
19th Century French Japanese Style Occasional Table by Gabriel Viardot
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A good example of a 19th Century Japanese style occasional table by French cabinet maker Gabriel Viardot. With carved cherry blossom and finely inlaid panels showing warriors on hors...
Bronze
Rare Japanese-style Pedestal / Gueridon in Carved Wood by Gabriel Viardot
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in MOUGINS, FR
Carved wooden pedestal table in the Japanese style, stamped by Gabriel Viardot. Square in shape with a red marble slab, lion paw feet. The spacer and sides of the top are made of ca...
Wood
$2,845Sale Price|20% Off
Swivel Bookcase Table by Gabriel Viardot, France, circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Rare pedestal table / revolving bookcase in Japanese / Chinese / Asian style, richly carved. With red marble top with white veins, openwork swivel shelves and tripod base carved with dragon / demon heads and clawed legs...
Marble
Gabriel Viardot Signed 19th Century French Chinoiserie Music Cabinet
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in North Miami, FL
A magnificent 19th-century French chinoiserie music cabinet created by the renowned artist Gabriel Viardot (France, 1888-1964) graces this exceptional piece, bearing the artist's sig...
Bronze
"Japonisme" Writing-Table by G. Viardot, France, circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful "Japonisme" writing table opening with a belt drawer with engraved decoration of bamboo and flowers and decorated with openwork leafy friezes in bronze, forming a writing tablet covered in velvet. It rests on four feet mounted at the corners of lion masks in gilded bronze and joined by an openwork spacer, and ending in lion paws. It is topped with a molded Griotte marble. Biography : Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906) 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 inovate. G. Viardot succeded 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...
Griotte Marble, Bronze
Exquisite Pair of Chairs by Gabriel Viardot - France, Circa 1890
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Rare and wonderful pair of "Pagoda" side chairs by Gabriel Viardot. Mahogany, with ivory and bronze detailing. The back medallions feature a dragon. Newly reupholstered with ve...
$2,845Sale Price|20% Off
Swivel Bookcase Table with Carved Top by Gabriel Viardot, Japonism, circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Rare pedestal table / bookcase in Japanese / Chinese / Asian style. Richly carved : top decorated with a dragon, openwork swivel shelves and tripod base carved with clawed legs. Ar...
Wood
18th Century Italian Plaque
Located in Pomona, CA
18th-century gilded Italian wall plaque.
Wood
Olympia Plaque Advertising Art Deco Chariot Gladiator
Located in Devon, England
A very attractive vintage Olympia wall plaque. There is a thin layer of copper that is embossed with the scene of a gladiator riding a chariot, very mu...
Copper
Art Deco Pair of 'Folies Bergeres' Wall Plaques
Located in Devon, England
This is a super rare opportunity to acquire a pair of these beautifully reduced versions of the facade bas-relief of the Folies-Bergères cabaret. One time designer, Pico who created ...
Plaster
French Majolica Jugendstil Art Nouveau Ceramic Plate, circa 1900
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Beautiful French Majolica wall plate from the Jugendstil / Art Nouveau period (ca 1900). Elegant design with a lovely lady in the middle. Nu...
Ceramic
$3,215
H 40.16 in W 30.71 in D 11.62 in
Antique Pier Cabinet, English Walnut, Glazed Bookcase, Display Cupboard, Regency
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique pier cabinet. An English, walnut and boxwood glazed bookcase or display cupboard, dating to the Regency period, circa 1820. ...
Boxwood, Walnut
$2,845Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.38 in Dm 21.26 in
Swivel Bookcase Table by Gabriel Viardot, France, circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Rare pedestal table / revolving bookcase in Japanese / Chinese / Asian style, richly carved. With red marble top with white veins, openwork swivel shelves and tripod base carved with dragon / demon heads and clawed legs...
Marble
$2,049
H 31.7 in W 19.49 in D 19.49 in
Antique Sheraton Revival Hardwood & Satinwood Revolving Bookcase Side End Table
By Sheraton Revival
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very fine antique Sheraton Revival Mahogany & Satinwood revolving bookcase table A very good looking well made and decorative piece. Made i...
Hardwood, Satinwood
Pair Art Nouveau Bronze Relief Wall Plaques
Located in Kastrup, DK
Pair of fine Art Nouveau / Jugendstyl gilt bronze relief wall plaques, with wonderful details, mounted in walnut frames. The reliefs depict Diana, ...
Bronze
$6,757
H 84.26 in W 70.08 in D 20.87 in
Biedermeier Display Cabinet Made in 1830s Germany, Fully Restored Walnut
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Style:19th century Biedermeier Period:1830-1839 Origin:Germany Measures: Height:214 cm / 84.25" Width:178 cm / 70.08" Depth:53 cm / 20.87".
Glass, Walnut
Antique Scandinavian Pine Cupboard
Located in Sheffield, MA
Wonderfully rustic pine cupboard. Can be used for linen, kitchen or where ever extra storage is needed. Three compartments at the top. Center door opens down. Lower part with 2 large...
Pine
$1,049Sale Price|50% Off
H 32 in W 16 in D 10 in
Victorian 1880 Walnut Carved Side Table with White Marble Top
Located in Lomita, CA
A rectangular white marble top rests on a walnut base with this occasional table. It is from the Victorian period. The carved walnut marble-topped table is American or English, and...
Marble
19th Century walnut occasional table
Located in Martlesham, GB
19th Century walnut wine / occasional table, having a wonderful figured oval top with a decorative floral carved edge raised on an intricate carved column with a turned finial at the...
Walnut
Gabriel Viardot Chinoiserie Two-Tier Table with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in New York, NY
A finely crafted giltwood two-tier side table attributed to Gabriel Viardot (1830–1906), showcasing rich chinoiserie influence. The table features elaborately carved and pierced wood...
Wood
GABRIEL VIARDOT 1900 Japonisme Two Tiers Pedestal In Gilt Walnut & Marble
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Miami, FL
French Japonisme two tiers pedestal designed by Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906). This is a gorgeous antique two-tiers pedestal created in Paris France by Gabriel-Frédéric Viardot, betwe...
Marble
Chair by Gabriel Viardot, in the Asian Art Style, 19th Century.
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Chair by Gabriel Viardot, in the Asian Art style, 19th century. Carved wood and marquetry chair in the Japanese style, 19th century. h: 90cm, w: 40cm, d: 43cm
Wood
Sold
H 20.67 in W 16.54 in D 11.82 in
Victorian Mirror with Carved Dragon attr. to Gabriel Viardot ca. 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Victorian Mirror with Carved Dragon attr. to Gabriel Viardot ca. 1880 A great Victorian mirror in the style of Gabriel Viardot. The mirror in the shape of a crescent moon is held by...
Glass, Wood
Sold
H 55.12 in W 42.13 in D 8.47 in
Rare Large Gabriel Viardot French Japonisme Dragon Mirror with Cherub
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Benington, Herts
A very large and rare aesthetic movement French Japonisme 19th century carved mahogany dragon mirror with Cherub, Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906). France circa 1880. A stunning example of Gabriel Viardot’s work, surmounted by an iconic carved dragon mid-flight at full wing span, grasping the original bevelled edge mirror plate, above a rarely seen affixed cherub with spear to the bottom righthand corner. In excellent original condition having a warm natural colour, the original glass plate having a small amount of tarnishing which can be seen in the image against a grey background but not noticeable or prominent when in situ. This mirror by Gabriel Viardot is signed to the verso and has to be one of the best examples I have seen along with the imposing scale and carving on this piece being exceptional. The signature to the verso is definitely in Viardot style...
Mahogany, Mirror
Exquisite Japanese-Style Table by Gabriel Viardot, circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Gabriel Viardot Exquisite Japanese-style table, circa 1880 Signed Made in carved and engraved tinted wood orned with gild bronze. In France, Gabriel Viardot was one of the lea...
Wood
Sold
H 73.23 in W 27.17 in D 13.78 in
Gorgeous French Art Nouveau Cabinet / Display Cabinet with Marquetry, 1890
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Gorgeous and most rare French Art Nouveau cabinet by Gabriel Viardot, 1890. Breathtaking floral Art Nouveau shapes with marquetry inlaid doo...
Glass, Wood
Sold
H 41 in W 39.5 in D 5.5 in
Antique & Quality Carved Dragon Sculpture Holding a Shield Shaped Beveled Mirror
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare, large and extremely sculptural wall mirror. If you are appreciative of rare and sculptural antiques then this large French mirror could be exactly what you are looking for. Th...
Mirror, Wood
Gabriel Viardot, Chinoiserie Side Table, France, 1880-1890
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in New York, NY
Signed. A two-tiered, tall side table by Gabriel Viardot, a French cabinetmaker whose elaborate carvings and use of eastern motifs propelled him to fame in the late 19th century.
Beech