Jean Despres Furniture

Jean Despres important French designer, known for original jewelry designs, champagne buckets, cocktail shakers, and many fine objects of art. This spectacular cocktail shaker with a...

Bowl "Art Deco - Modernist" made in hammered silver plated metal by Jean Desprès. Engraved signature under the base. Great condition.  height: 11,...

Bowl "Art Deco" made in hammered silver plated metal and chains by Jean Desprès. Engraved signature under the base. Great condition.  height: 11,5 cm diameter : 20 cm

Tea Coffee Set "Art Deco" made in hammered silver plated metal and chains by Jean Desprès. Rosebood handles. Engraved signature and stamp on each piece.    Superb condition. Service...

Champagne White Wine Ice bucket "Art Deco" made in hammered silver plated metal and chains by Jean Desprès. Engraved signature and stamp under the base.  Great condition.  height :...

Champagne Ice bucket "Art Deco" made in hammered silver plated metal and chains by Jean Desprès. Engraved signature under the base. Great condition.  Height: 25 cm Diameter w...

Jean Despres important French designer, known for original jewelry designs, champagne buckets, cocktail shakers, and many fine objects of art. This spectacular bowl may be one-off, w...

Decorative pan for aperitif by Jean Despres, France, circa 1950. Silver-plated metal piece with a hammered handle, and decorated at the base of a flat link chain. The plating is orig...

Champagne bucket by Jean Despres, France, circa 1950. Important hammered silver plated champagne bucket with cylindrical hammered body presenting two scrolled handles underlined with spheres and decorated at the top of the Jean Despres flat link chain. Incised signature "J.Després" under the base (see photo). A similar model is illustrated in the book "Jean Després, jeweler and goldsmith between Art Deco and modernity" by Melissa Gabardi, page 151, to Editions Norma (see photos). Jean Despres, born June 15, 1889 in Souvigny (Allier), and died in 1980 in Avallon (Yonne), is a French goldsmith, creator of jewelry, objects and furniture of Art Deco style, specializing in the work of the silver. Jean Despres was born into a descendant family of master glassmakers, Després de Loisy, and glaziers, Turlin. The family moved in Avallon in 1890 to open an articles of paintings and art store at no. 27 rue de Paris and then at no. 20 place Vauban. He attended school and college in Avallon without being a very bright student. His passion was cycling and competitions. He obtained his patent in 1905. His father placed him in apprenticeship with a friend, goldsmith in Paris in the Marais district. At the same time, he completed his training by following the drawing classes in the schools of the city of Paris and frequented the Bateau-Lavoir, where he met Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Paul Signac, Giorgio De Chirico, Marie Laurencin, Chaim Soutine, Maurice Utrillo and Georges Braque, whom will be his best friend. He is passionate about cubism. During World War I, Jean Despres was assigned as a draftsman mechanic in the workshops of the military aviation. This double experience will durably mark him and feed all his work. He participated in the Art Deco movement. He had many friends in the avant-garde of the time, such as Paul Jouve or Maurice de Vlaminck. In the 1920s and 1930s, he took over his parents' store in Avallon and set up his studio where he created motor jewelry, whose pure forms inspired by aeronautical mechanical parts were part of the avant-garde movement. Craftsman of metal, gold, silver, tin, Despres shaped material, invented new forms. Like his contemporaries Marcel Sandoz or Raymond Templier, he was one of those pioneers who renounce the codes of high jewelry and the use of precious stones. He participated, with the help of Paul Signac, in his first Salon des Indépendants in 1926. He also participated in the revival of the forms of goldsmithing by removing the classic ornaments, to create pieces with massive shapes, silver, pewter, usually silver metal, everyone recognizable by its hammered appearance. In 1935, he took care of the Art and Fashion Gallery at No. 39 rue du Colisée in Paris. In 1936, he married Simone Delattre, painter and decorator on embroidered fabrics. He was rewarded by the Aeroclub which awards him a gold medal in 1937. These works were beginning to be known abroad. The following year, he was named Knight of the Legion of Honor. He run his gallery and kept his studio in Avallon. In 1940, he was President of the Goldsmiths' Union, a professional delegate for artistic protection at the international jewelry-goldsmith's office. He was the goldsmith's rapporteur on the awards commission of the Society for the Promotion of Art and Industry. In 1943, he came to live on rue de La Trémoille in Paris, where he had a shop at the same address. Among his friends, he counted Pierre Vigoureux and frequented Jules Cavaillès, Worms, Peltier, Lalique, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Fernand Léger and many others. He counted Josephine Baker among his famous clients. After the war, Jean Despres will expose several times, with the support of the State, in different foreign countries. In 1972, he offered the city of Avallon sixty-eight of his works. Exhibitions 1925: Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, with Rose Adler and the painter Étienne Cournault...

Signed J Despres and dated 1966 on the bottom. A unique and rare piece in very good condition. 5″ high x 8″ wide x 4″ deep Jean Després was a French jewelry maker and designer bes...

Jean Despres early work. A pewter Art Deco vase. Excellent condition and nice patina. Circa 1930.

Pair of silver-plated bronze candlesticks made by Jean Després (1889 - 1990). This model has a beautiful design in which we can distinguish its smooth bobbacha, grooved spout and hea...

Rare Jean Després decorative Cendrier with manufacturers stamp and signature. Artist: Jean Després Year: c.1950 Size: 9.3cm x 9.3cm x 3.5cm Country of Manufacture: Fra...

Jean Despres important French designer, known for original jewelry designs, champagne buckets, cocktail shakers, and many fine objects of art. This spectacular pair of heavy candlest...

Jean Despres important French designer, known for original jewelry designs, champagne buckets, cocktail shakers, and many fine objects of art. This spectacular bowl may be one-off, w...

Silver-plated metal with a base encompassed by three rows of Depres’s bead motif. Signed on the underside.

Jean Despres important French designer, known for original jewelry designs, champagne buckets, cocktail shakers, and many fine objects of art. This spectacular pair of heavy candlest...

Heavy gauge silver plated cup with hammered finish with Despres’ Signature chain motif around base.

Midcentury Refined design signed underneath Jean Despres 1950 for this wine bottle Bucket in hammered silver plated bronze . A great chain design around ...

Heavy gauge silver plated pitcher in a hammered finish with Despres’ Signature chain motif around the base and a wooden handle.   

Hammered Bronze Silver Plated Wine Bottle Bucket signed underneath by Jean Despres. Style Art Deco . Elegant and precious design by the well knowned crea...

Heavy gauge silver plated server with Despres’ Signature chain motif on the handle.  

An incredibly stylish and important, heavy gauge silver plated champagne bucket, with classic hammered (or marte´le) finish, with trademark Despre`s chain motif around the foot and r...

Modernist bowl by Jean Despres, circa 1930, silvered metal.

Jean Despres (1889-1980) Covered urn and a jug treated in the Ottoman style. Silver metal proofs, the surface fully hammered except for the handles and the spout, circa 1930 Each pie...

Important French Jean Després 950 std Silver Saucepan Aperitif Server, France C.1950. Sphere shape on bead surround pedestal foot elongated open rectangular silver sleeve handle Inci...

A beautiful, 1930s Jean Despres (1889-1980) deco silver brooch inspired by modern Industrial forms. Signed.