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.
Émile GALLÉ - Exceptional Marquetry Tea Table
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Beaune, FR
Rare model for this superb tea table with double marquetry trays with floral decorations: wheat, dandelion flowers, poppies and cricket/grasshopper. Magnificent mahogany base carved ...
Fruitwood
Louis XV Style Kingwood and Gilt Bronze Two-Tier Tea Table
Located in Montreal, QC
Louis XV style kingwood trellis parquetry two-tier tea table with twin handled rectangular trays, the serpentine borders banded in gilt bronze over ta...
Ormolu
Table Art Deco, France, 1920 in Marquetry
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Table Material: Wood Style: Art Deco France We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your dispo...
Wood
Emile Galle Marquetry Two Tiered Walnut and Fruitwood Table
By Émile Gallé
Located in Dallas, TX
Emile Galle (1846-1904) Two-Tiered Table Circa 1900 Émile Gallé French Walnut and Fruitwood Marquetry Two-Tiered Pedestal table. This Art Nouveau classic two tiered French walnut p...
Walnut, Fruitwood
$8,241
H 29.73 in W 26.97 in D 19.49 in
Original French Art Nouveau Marquetry Table ''Japonisme'' by Emile Galle 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Very rare original Emile Galle ''plate 66 Japonisme'' side table in Art Nouveau style. This beautiful side table was created by Emile Galle in 1900, during the art nouveau period. It features exquisite marquetry woodwork that is inspired by the Japonisme movement, which was influenced by Japanese art and design. The side table is decorated with breathtaking Magnolia flowers & a romantic couple of butterflies. Made from various types of wood, creating a unique scenery almost like a painting. The table showcases intricate details, such as delicate foliage and organic forms, that are hallmarks of art nouveau style. Galle was renowned for his innovative techniques and attention to detail, and this piece is a testament to his mastery of the craft. It is a stunning example of the art nouveau movement and a true work of art. Literature: ''Galle furniture by Alastair Duncan and Georges de Bartha 2012 Page 153. Plate 66. This Emile Galle table...
Walnut, Fruitwood, Rosewood
Art Nouveau Émile Gallé "Table aux fougères" Marquetry Table
Located in New York, NY
This extraordinary fougère table by Émile Gallé evokes the dense fern undergrowth of a tropical forest in Java (modern-day Indonesia). The struts that extend outward from the table’s...
Fruitwood
Fine and Exceptional Empire Pier Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A 19th century classical Empire pier console table having a beveled rectangular marble top above an Ogee mahogany veneered apron raised on carved and gilt white Alabaster Ionic colum...
Alabaster
$28,000
H 55.25 in W 30.5 in D 22 in
Emile Galle "Ombelles" Floral and Pastoral Marquetry Writing Desk
By Émile Gallé
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau writing desk featuring an open upper section with a marquetry inlaid pasteral scene back panel under a carved floral...
Wood
$2,288Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.96 in W 20.87 in D 19.69 in
Art Nouveau Side Table by Émile Gallé, Marquetry Wood, France, 1900
By Émile Gallé
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Guéridon tripode en forme de blason marqueté sur son plateau d'une branche de chardon et d'une croix de Lorraine. La marqueterie est composée de palissandre, noyer, merisier, acajou ...
Wood
$795
H 26.5 in W 30.5 in D 19.5 in
Kittinger Colonial Williamsburg Mahogany Queen Anne Style Tea Table
By Kittinger Furniture Company
Located in Long Branch, NJ
Kittinger Colonial Williamsburg Mahogany Queen Anne Style Tea Table Dimensions : 30.5" Wide X 19.5" Deep X 26.5" Tall This tear table...
Mahogany
$13,500
H 28.5 in W 28 in D 28 in
Emile Galle French Art Nouveau Floral Marquetry Rotating Top Occasional Table
By Émile Gallé
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau occasional table with a circular top with shaped edge and floral marquetry inlay that rotates on a central axis, resting on four tapered sabre legs joined by a squ...
Wood
Fine Mahogany Tea or Serving Table with Leaf Extensions
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Fine mahogany tea, dessert or serving table with 4 drop down serving extensions with brass "bridges". The table with brass trim and resting on tapering legs with brass inlay. To expa...
Brass
Emile Galle Marquetry Three Tier Dragonfy and Botanical Table
By Émile Gallé
Located in Dallas, TX
Emile Galle (1846-1904) Three-Tiered Table Circa 1900 This three tiered, four legged French walnut table with "Libellules," or "Dragonflies," fruitwood marquetry decoration, by Émil...
Fruitwood, Oak
Sold
H 33.08 in W 34.65 in D 24.41 in
L. Majorelle Marquetry Art Nouveau Tea Table, Serving Table, France, Signed
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Valladolid, ES
Stunning Te-Table or Serving Table in marquetry with flowers and paillons , Art Nouveau , Ecole de Nancy , France , circa 1900 .With bronze handles in the both sides and signed by th...
Bronze