Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, more commonly known as Louis Majorelle, was a French artist, metalworker and Art Nouveau designer celebrated for his bedroom furniture, cabinets, chairs and decorative objects.
In 1877, Majorelle moved to Paris from the town of Nancy where he began his studies in painting under Jean-François Millet at the École de Beaux Arts. Following the death of his father, a furniture designer, he returned to Nancy and took over the family workshop. Parisian architect Henri Sauvage designed Majorelle’s house in Nancy, Villa Majorelle, which featured stained glass by Jacques Gruber.
In order to increase productivity and reduce costs — as well as shift the family business’s focus from reproductions of 18th-century furniture such as Louis XV chairs to instead working in the era’s Art Nouveau style — Majorelle integrated modern techniques and processes at his atelier (these changes were in part inspired by innovative glassmaker Emile Gallé).
The workshop became known for Majorelle’s distinctive designs and the pronounced craftsmanship of its offerings. There were tables made from mahogany and ormolu that featured handsome bronze mounts and marquetry, table lamps that shared common ground with the prized designs associated with Tiffany Studios, and decorative pieces that Majorelle produced in partnership with Daum, a revered manufacturer of French art glass.
The work was very much characterized by the botanical motifs and curvaceous silhouettes of Art Nouveau design, and the business was successful. Majorelle produced a range of items during the early 1900s and was a participant in the 1900 Paris Exposition as well as the Exposition de l'Ecole de Nancy in 1903.
In 1916, a devastating fire broke out in Majorelle’s factory on the rue du Vieil-Aître in Nancy. It destroyed all of the company’s awards, sketches, molds, equipment and archives of Majorelle’s work. In 1917, destruction again shook his business when his shop on the rue Saint-Georges was bombed by German aircraft. The designer marched on — he relocated to Paris where he shared a workspace and created vases and other vessels in the Art Deco style before he moved back to Nancy. Majorelle designed the Nancy Pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 with Alfred Lévy. He died in 1926.
Find antique Louis Majorelle cabinets, seating and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Louis Majorelle. Art Nouveau carved walnut armchair with original period fabric
By Louis Majorelle
Located in London, GB
An Art Nouveau armchair in carved walnut retaining the original period fabric that has an extra back pad stitched to the top of the back rest. A slight variation to this armchair can...
Walnut
Louis Majorelle "Les Pins" Carved Mahogany Armchair
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
This hand-carved wooden armchair, named "Le Pins," embodies the Art Nouveau style of Louis Majorelle, featuring intricate carvings of pine needles and pinecones. Reflecting Majorelle...
Upholstery, Mahogany
Louis Majorelle - Rare high-back armchair “Les Tomates”
By Louis Majorelle
Located in NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FR
Louis Majorelle (1859–1926) Rare high-back armchair “Les Tomates” (The Tomatoes) Armchair in ribbed, molded, and carved walnut, decorated with vegetal motifs: ornate capitals, ribbe...
Walnut
Louis Majorelle French Art Nouveau Armchair
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau walnut armchair by Louis Majorelle, featuring sinuously curved arms and legs. The top of the chair is decorated with an intricately carved floral motif. It is up...
Upholstery, Walnut
$30,000Sale Price / set|53% Off
Pair of Louis Majorelle Armchairs
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Pompano Beach, FL
A pair of walnut armchairs by Louis Majorelle.
Leather, Walnut
Louis XV Carved Walnut Armchair, c1740
Located in valatie, NY
An early 18th century French carved walnut armchair with hand-caned seat and back. The frame is constructed in the customary 18th c Louis XV manner with pinned mortise and tenon and ...
Walnut
Leon Benouville Art Nouveau Armchair
By Francois-Leon Benouville
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Art Nouveau armchair, circa 1900, by Leon Benouville in sculpted mahogany.
Mahogany
$494Sale Price|20% Off
H 21.66 in W 16.93 in D 13.19 in
Wrought Iron French Art Nouveau Children's Armchair, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and rare Art Nouveau children's armchair. Striking French design from the 1900s. Blue lacquered wrought iron. This wonderful Art Nouveau children's armchair is in good co...
Wrought Iron
French Art Nouveau Chairs by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Bridgewater, CT
French Art Nouveau chairs by Louis Majorelle.
Wood
Thomasville Queen Anne Carved Solid Mahogany Armchair
By Thomasville
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Queen Anne or Georgian style armchair or dining captain chair By Thomasville USA, Circa 1980s Solid carved mahogany frame, with upholstered seat. Measures: 22"W x 22.2...
Upholstery, Mahogany
$4,238 / set
H 25.99 in W 21.66 in D 19.69 in
1900s Italy Pair of Bedroom Armchairs Art Nouveau with Stool Hand-Carved Walnut
By Carlo Zen
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1900s Italy budoir, pair of bedroom armchairs Art Nouveau with stool in hand-carved walnut, restored and polished to wax. Made new upholstery...
Fabric, Walnut
Pair of Louis XVI Style Armchairs
Located in Southampton, NY
Pair of Louis XVI style armchairs covered in cut velvet fabric. Carved foliage and shell motif at the top. Very good condition. Two s...
Velvet
19th Century Antique Art Nouveau Edwardian Carved Walnut Armchair
Located in Lake Worth, FL
For FULL item description click on "Read More" or "View More Details" below. Shipping Quote Information The shipping quote stated in the listing is from 1st Dibs and they normally s...
Walnut, Cotton
Pair of Louis XV Style Tapestry Armchairs
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This pair of Louis XV style tapestry armchairs embodies the elegance and refinement of 18th-century French design, blending exquisite craftsmanship with timeless comfort. Each chair ...
Tapestry, Wood
Bernhardt Regency Carved Mahogany Armchairs Pair
By Bernhardt
Located in South Bend, IN
An outstanding pair of Regency or Neoclassical style armchairs or dining captain chairs By Bernhardt USA, Circa Late 20th Century Carved mahogany frames, with upholstered seats. ...
Upholstery, Mahogany
Fine French Art Nouveau Mahogany Bench
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Art Nouveau solid mahogany bench.
Mahogany
Louis XIII-Style High-Back Wood Armchair with Tapestry Upholstery
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
A tall, sculptural armchair in the Louis XIII tradition, pairing a high upholstered back and generous seat with gracefully scrolled wood arms, turned supports, shaped front blocks, r...
Wood
Louis Majorelle "Les Pins" Armchair
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
This exquisite “Les Pins” walnut armchair by Louis Majorelle exemplifies the artist’s refined interpretation of nature within the Art Nouveau movement. The rosewood-veneered seat rai...
Upholstery, Walnut
Sold
H 32.25 in W 36.75 in D 21 in
Pair of French Art Nouveau Armchairs by, Louis Majorelle Arm Chairs
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Englewood, NJ
A pair of Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau carved wood "Aubépine" armchairs by, Louis Majorelle. Both chairs are decorated on their back edges, arms, legs and skirt with carved hawthorn leaves and berry decoration upholstered in a off/cream white light snake pattern. circa 1905 Measurements: height: 32.25 in. (81.92 cm) x width: 36.75 in. (93.35 cm) x depth: 21 in. (53.34 cm) Condition: chairs are in overall very good condition with light wear. Fabric is not period. Literature: Similar chairs are pictured in: -Majorelle - Nancy: décorations d'INTÉRIEURS: meubles, tentures, bronzes, ferronneries (the 1906 Majorelle catalogue), and in: Louis Majorelle: Master of Art Nouveau design, by Alastair Duncan, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991, p. 200. -Alastair Duncan, Louis Majorelle: Master of Art Nouveau Design, London, 1991, pp. 167, 183 and 200 -Majorelle: Un Art de Vivre Moderne, exh. cat., Musée de l'École de Nancy, France, 2009, p. 130 Biography : Louis Majorelle, (France; 1859 – 1926) born as Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle was a French decorator and furniture designer who manufactured his own designs, in the French tradition of the ébéniste. He was one of the outstanding designers of furniture in the Art Nouveau style, and after 1901 formally served as one of the vice-presidents of the École de Nancy. The Majorelle firm's factory was designed by famous École de Nancy architect Lucien Weissenburger (1860 – 1929) and located at 6, rue du Vieil-Aître in the western part of Nancy. In the 1880s Majorelle turned out pastiches of Louis XV furniture styles, which he exhibited in 1894 at the Exposition d'Art Décoratif et Industriel [Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Art] in Nancy, but the influence of the glass- and furniture-maker Emile Gallé (1846 – 1904) inspired him to take his production in new directions. Beginning in the 1890s, Majorelle's furniture, embellished with inlays, took their inspiration from nature: stems of plants, waterlily leaves, tendrils, dragonflies. Before 1900 he added a metalworking atelier to the workshops, to produce drawerpulls and mounts in keeping with the fluid lines of his woodwork. His studio also was responsible for the ironwork of balconies, staircase railings...
Upholstery, Wood
Art Nouveau Majorelle 5 Pieces Salon
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Bridgewater, CT
French Art Nouveau sofa, 2 armchairs and 2 chairs by Louis Majorelle. Measures: Sofa: height 46", width 50", depth 21" Armchairs: height 41.5...
Fabric, Wood
Sold
H 29.5 in W 26.5 in D 29 in
Louis Majorelle, Art Nouveau Mahogany Desck Chair, France, circa 1925
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful desk chair, with elegant sloping lines, and finely detailed carving, is a marvelous example of the work of famed Art Nouveau master Ebeniste Louis Majorelle.
Mahogany
French Art Nouveau Armchair by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Bridgewater, CT
French Art Nouveau armchair by Louis Majorelle. Measures: Width 22", depth: 23", height: 35". In good condition.
Wood
Pair of French Art Nouveau Beach Wood Armchairs by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Art Nouveau beachwood armchairs by Louis Majorelle. The chairs feature curved seats, twisted curvilinear arms and backrests ornamen...
Pair of "Aux Fougères" Armchairs by Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Art Nouveau "aux Fougères" armchairs by Louis Majorelle. These chairs are decorated on their back edges,ams, legs and seat supports with carved fern fronds...
Pair of "Clematis" Armchairs by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Art Nouveau "Clematis" armchairs by Louis Majorelle. The back and frame of each chair is carved with clematis flowers. Cle...
Pair of French Art Nouveau "Clematis" Armchairs by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Art Nouveau "Clematis" armchairs by Louis Majorelle. The back and frame of each chair is carved with clematis flowers. Clematis was one of several natural motifs emp...
Upholstery, Wood
French Art Nouveau “Aux Nenuphars” Desk and Armchair
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French “Aux Nenuphars” desk and armchair by Louis Majorelle. Circa 1900. A similar desk is pictured in: The Paris Salons 1895-1915, Vol. III: Furniture, by Alastair Duncan, Woo...
French Art Nouveau Armchair by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau armchair by Louis Majorelle. A similar chair is pictured in: Louis Majorelle: Master of Art Nouveau design, by Alas...
Louis Majorelle Pair of French Art Nouveau Armchairs
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Art Nouveau marquetry armchairs by Louis Majorelle, featuring inlaid marquetry on the chair backs in a floral motif, and carved “duck bill” arms. Circa 1900. Simil...