Louis Majorelle Ebony, Mahogany, Bronze & Abalone Deco Cabinet, France, 1919

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Louis Majorelle Ebony, Mahogany, Bronze & Abalone Deco Cabinet, France, 1919

About the Item

Louis Majorelle, cabinet, France, c. 1919, Macassar ebony, mahogany, mother-of-pearl, glass, patinated bronze. Measures: 66¾ h × 89¼ w × 19½ d in (170 × 227 × 50 cm). Cabinet features four doors concealing three fixed shelves in the center and open storage to the left and right. Circular applied label to interior ‘Garde-Meubles Odoul 16 Rue de l'Atlas Paris No. B732’. Intricate Macassar marquetry patchwork with inset abalone. Dating to the late 1910s, this cabinet eschews the organic fluidity of the Art Nouveau for a rectilinear Art Deco softened by the mix of luxurious materials. I Provenance: Important Private Collection, Paris. Literature: Louis Majorelle: Master of Art Nouveau Design, Duncan, pg. 199 Condition Report: Fair original antique condition. Wear throughout commensurate with age and use. Wooden surfaces exhibit various degrees of wear from use including areas of finish loss, chips, scattered scratches and indentations, slight warping, some separations within the grain and minor splits. Glass shelves show some small chips and one with stable crack to one corner. Central hinge to one outer door is broken, not affecting functionality. Locking mechanism to central doors is functional, keys included. One glass door has clean crack in glass that should be an easy to repair or replace. Louis Majorelle: Born: 1859, Toul, France Died: 1926, Nancy, France The son of a cabinetmaker, Majorelle was trained as a painter and went in 1877 to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Jean-François Millet. After his father’s death in 1879, he returned to Nancy to manage the family workshop. Concentrating on the design of furniture, Majorelle moved from 18th-century reproductions to the developing style of Art Nouveau and began (1890) to produce works conceived in that style. While still adhering to the quality of hand craftsmanship, Majorelle maintained a modern workshop that incorporated marquetry, bronze, cabinetry, and sculpture. Majorelle’s catalogs between 1900 and 1914 show a tremendous output: suites of furniture for individual rooms, furniture using botanical motifs or other stylistic themes, and specific pieces whose prices ranged according to custom-ordered materials. Majorelle’s style incorporated a modified flowing line with polished woods, highlighted by Art Nouveau bronze mounts in the 18th-century tradition.

Creator:
Louis Majorelle (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 66 in (167.64 cm)Width: 89 in (226.06 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
Style:
Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Ebony,Glass,Mother-of-Pearl,Rosewood
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1920-1929
Date of Manufacture:
1920
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading. Fair original antique cond. Age appropriate wear. One glass door has clean crack in glass that should be an easy to repair or replace. See description for detailed condition report.
Seller Location:
Brooklyn, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4190326184622

Shop All Louis Majorelle

Louis Majorelle

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.

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