Tahan Paris Boxes

Our truly extraordinary jewelry chest from Tahan of Paris, circa 1900, features a gilt bronze frame and lid with floral vine openwork revealing green colored glass inserts, and snake form handle decorated with clear and ruby colored faceted glass, raised on acanthus leaf feet. With cushioned, fitted interior, apparently original and marked by the maker, TAHAN A PARIS. 6 by 8 by 5.5 inches. The finest box of its kind from the Belle Epoque period we have ever seen. This prestigious firm's origins started with the cabinet maker, Pierre Lambert Tahan (1780-1844), in Spa, a small town of the Ardennes in Belgium, who left his hometown in 1804 to set up his “boxes and necessaries” factory in the Temple district. His son Jean Pierre Alexandre (1813-1892) was hence born in Paris and helped him as early as 1837, then took over the total direction of the company in 1844, his father ceasing all activity then. Following his father's passing, Jean Pierre Alexandre separated the studio on rue de Quincampoix from the shop in the rue basse du rampart. He developed the production of boxes, but also produced larger furniture items such as “bonheur-du-jour”, desks, and sewing tables. As early as 1845, he also began to advertise in the newspapers, a practice still very little used at the time. “Supplier of the King and Princes”, he won a silver medal at the Exhibition of Industrial Products in 1849 and became known as "the Prince of Small Cabinetmaking." In 1855, he was awarded the title of "Supplier of the Emperor" at the Universal Exhibition where he exhibited an extraordinary sculpted aviary. The Court commissioned indeed a large number of works, including rosewood planters, lounge tables for the Palais des Tuileries, and a cabinet in mahogany and gilt bronze for Napoleon III’s office. His shop migrated to 34 rue de la Paix (1849-1866), then 11 Boulevard des Italiens (1866-1878). In 1861, Tahan was thus designated as "one of those manufacturers who outstrip fashion and set the tone instead of following." (La Chronique des Arts et de la Curiosité). Indeed, he collaborated quickly with Julien-Nicolas Rivart...

Beautiful jewelery box in bronze and different cameos, made by Tahan Paris in the 1800s. Each cammeo is different and represents a different scenes....

Beautiful cigar cellar from the Tahan house in Paris in 19th century marquetry. This cellar is fully restored and in perfect condition with its five sto...

Gilded and enameled bronze box, velvet interior, signed TAHAN, R De La Paix, 19th century Napoleon III Measures: H 11 cm, W 17.5 cm, D 13 cm.

Gilt bronze cigar box stamped A. Tahan à Paris, circa Napoleon III decorated with Boulle marquetry.

A small rectangular casket in enamel and gilt bronze decorated with pearl garland motifs and set with five enameled plates. The lid is decorated with a blue enameled plate with a med...

This fine quality jewel casket was made by the renown Parisian makers Alphonse and Jean Pierre Alexandre Tahan, ebenists to Napoleon III.

Gilt bronze gloves box stamped A. Tahan à Paris, circa Napoleon III decorated with Boulle marquetry. Velvet interior.

This rare mid-19th century marquetry box from the Napoleon III period features a burl thuya wood field surrounded by a border in palisander. An intricate inlay of ebonized pear wood,...

Rectangular dark wood and brass marquetry box for card games richly decorated with rinceau, foliages and interlace. The lid with monogram : DU. The interior has six compartments for ...

Antique French parquet worked cigars box, Napoleon III era, circa 1850s-1870s. The parquet work, done with fine exotic kingwood veneers, is referred to as 'tumbling blocks' pattern, and creates a 3-D focal point cartouche on the box's top. Chevron cuts of Kingwood frame it along with the brass stringing, and the box is edged in brass pencil edging, too - all evidence of fine craftsmanship of mid-late 1800s boxes...

19th Century French boulle tantalus marked "Tahan Paris", circa 1870