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.
$3,297Sale 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
$2,826Sale 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
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
"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
$2,826Sale 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
$2,250
H 31 in Dm 23.5 in
French Art Deco Pedestal or Lamp Table circa 1930s Refinished Your Choice Color
By Dominique
Located in Atlanta, GA
Clean Lined French Art Deco Pedestal or Lamp Table, France, circa 1930s. This piece is currently being refinished and can be completed in your choice of color. The color choice canno...
Wood
$2,046
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
Louis XVI Side Table with Marble Top, France, Circa 1900
Located in High Point, NC
A refined expression of French neoclassical design, this Louis XVI side table dates to circa 1900 and showcases the timeless elegance of the period. Crafted in solid wood and topped ...
Marble
$1,596Sale Price|34% Off
H 30 in W 50 in D 24 in
French Louis XV Rococo Style Walnut Writing Desk Table Circa 1960s
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This elegant French Louis XV Rococo style writing desk showcases the timeless craftsmanship and ornate detailing that define 18th-century French design, recreated beautifully in the ...
Walnut
French Art Deco Pedestal Side Table with Stepped Base, circa 1930's
Located in Beirut, LB
The table features a circular top showcasing a stunning book-matched walnut veneer, where the natural grain is mirrored to create a "butterfly" or diamond-shaped pattern. The top is ...
Wood
$801Sale Price|51% Off
H 28.94 in W 47.25 in D 25.2 in
French Foldable Dining or Writing Table, Beech and Chestnut, circa 1970
Located in Labrit, Landes
Little chestnut dining table. The two end are foldable and the little width of this table is 32.28 in. (82 cm) The table top was made circa 1970. It was laid on a beech base dating...
Beech, Chestnut
Small French brass table with marble top, circa 1910
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Elegant small brass table with a marble top, dating from circa 1910. This piece of furniture is characterized by a sleek, geometric design and carefully finished details. The warm pa...
Marble, Brass
Bamboo Occasional Table with Lacquered Top, English, ca. 1880
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Bamboo Occasional Table with Lacquered Top, English, ca. 1880. The art of using bamboo in furniture making originated in China, dating as far back as the early 1600's and would later...
Bamboo, Rattan
Victorian Desk Writing Table Mahogany 1880
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Victorian mahogany 2 drawer desk or writing table Circa 1880 Raised upon ring turned legs with brass castors The table features 2 mahogany lined drawers which retain their original t...
Mahogany
1940s French Carved Wood Pedestal Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Tall twisted wood pedestal table from France, 1940s. Made of solid wood with original finish. Great carved twisted wood stem with circular top and base. Original wood finish shows ni...
Oak
Victorian Mahogany Wine Table, Barley Twist Base, Antique, 1880
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Mahogany wine table or occasional table This lovely table it stands on a very attractive Barley Twist three footed base It has a solid mahogany octagonal top which is beautifull...
Mahogany
Painted Wood Carved Pedestal Statue Corinthian Stand Gustavian Style
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Bring a touch of classical architecture into your home with this impressive vintage pedestal painted in a Gustavian color of taupe, featuring acanthus leaves and scroll accents. The ...
Wood, Paint
Sold
H 29.53 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
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
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
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
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