Carved Architectural Elements

A carved and white-painted pine swan-form architectural finial It is probably American, circa 1900. It is designed in the form of a standing swan. There are minor losses to the p...

Art Nouveau carved pedestal plant stand, French Hand carved climbing grape vines Good condition with minor signs of age sound and solid.    

Extremely rare French Art Nouveau terracotta building relief, depicting stylized woman bust, exquisitely detailed. Hand carved sculpture by a master carver, no doubt. Salvaged from t...

Architectural building fragment of carved brownstone, with moss finish. Great accent piece, freestanding, suitable for indoor or outdo...

20th century carved wooden capital with polychromed patina, from Spain. An angel figure in the front and the back and the leafs of a plant on both sides decorate the capital. This...

Very rare original antique 4-part cladding (see last picture) from an old shop facade from Paris, circa 1900. Completely made of softwood and already leach...

A fine French 19th-20th century Art-Nouveau (1885-1917) white-painted carved wood planter - Jardiniere, in the manner of Hector Guimard (French, 1867-1942). The rectangular body with rounded edges and carvings of flowers and scrolls, raised on cabriolet feet. Fitted with a metal pull-out planter tray, circa Paris, 1900. Provenance: Former Property of Oprah Winfrey. Hector Guimard (1867-1942) was a French architect, who is now the best-known representative of the Art-Nouveau style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Guimard's critical reputation has risen since the 1960s, as many art historians have praised his architectural and decorative work, the best of it done during a relatively brief fifteen years of prolific creative activity. Early life. Guimard was born in Lyon. Like many other French nineteenth-century architects, he attended the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris from 1882 to 1885, where he became acquainted with the theories of Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. These rationalist ideas provided the basis for his idiosyncratic form of Art Nouveau. In 1884 he was awarded three bronze and two silver medals at the school for his work. In 1885 he received awards in all of the competitions at École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs including four bronze medallions, five silver, and the school's Grande Prix d'Architecture. In 1885 Guimard began his studies at the École Nationale et Speciale des Beaux-Arts in Paris and he was admitted to the first year at École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1888. Later, in 1890, he was awarded a silver metal for "modelled ornament" at Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1891 Guimard became an Assistant professor in descriptive geometry, shadow and perspective drawings of the girls' section at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He was named a professor the following year in 1892 of the girls' section and was also named a professor of perspective in 1894. He remained there until 1900. In 1893 he designed the lettering and street numbers for the Hotel Villa de la Réunion at 142 avenue de Versailles, Paris, which were produced for him by the ceramicist Emile Muller...