Edouard Colonna Art Nouveau Paris "Bibliotheque Victor Hugo" Cabinet

View Similar Items

Colonna Cabinet

Art Nouveau Burlwood Cabinet

Art Nouveau Mahogany Display Cabinet

Art Nouveau Oak Small Side Cabinet

Art Nouveau Display Cabinet Period 1890

Art Nouveau Display Cabinet Mahogany 1900

Art Nouveau Display Cabinet Mahogany 1890

French Art Nouveau Walnut Display Cabinet

Stylish Art Nouveau Cabinet with Mirror

Art Nouveau Cabinet Stand with Mirror

Antique Art Nouveau Cabinet, Bookcase or Kitchen cabinet, Vitrine

About the Item

French Art Nouveau cabinet by Edouard Colonna, 1900-1901, identified in numerous period sources as Bibliotheque Victor Hugo. It is 57" wide x 16" deep x 83" high. Colonna used it as the image in his own full-page advertisements in 1900-1901. Fabricated in Ceylonese lemonwood and leaded stained glass. The drawings for the cabinet are in the Decorative Arts collection of the Louvre, notated in Art Nouveau Bing by Gabriel Weisberg. This cabinet was exhibited at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Also exhibited at the Nassau County Museum of Art's Reflections of Opulence, Art Nouveau to Art Deco, in 2001. It is pictured in the catalog from the exhibition. Janet Calderwood Tue, Apr 23, 12:07 PM (1 day ago) to me I found this in an email from a couple of years ago - is there space on 1stDibs to include a designer's bio? I did a lot of research to distill this info: EDWARD COLONNA (b. Germany, Edouard Klonne 1862-1948) Renowned Art Nouveau furniture, jewelry and objets d’art designer and architect, EDWARD COLONNA, was German-born and raised, studied architecture in Brussels, Belgium, became an American citizen, lived in Canada for several years, and had the artistic soul of a Frenchman. Colonna was born in Muhlheim near Cologne (Koln), Germany in 1862. He studied architecture in Brussels and in 1882 he moved to the United States. There he found a position with Associated Artists, a group of interior decorators headed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, and participated in the interior design for real estate businessman Ogden Goelet and shipping magnate Charles Flint. From 1884-85 he worked for the fashionable New York architect, Bruce Price. In 1885,with Price’s help, he settled in Dayton, Ohio and worked for Barney and Smith Manufacturing Company, where he designed railroad cars. While there he published, at the age of 25, the slender book, Essay on Broom-Corn (1887). Its intricate lettering and bold designs show hints of early aspects of Art Nouveau. Just a year later, in 1888, after filing papers to become an American citizen, he established an office in Montreal and worked primarily for the Canadian Pacific Railway. This work included architectural designs for train stations as well as an elaborate sleeping car he created especially for the train exhibition at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Colonna was an active participant in exhibitions in the United States and Canada during this time. He was a member of the Architectural League of New York, entered exhibits at the Philadelphia Museum and School of Art, and belonged to the Montreal Art Association. In 1893, in a turning point year and the end of his early career, Colonna left the U.S. for Europe and, in his own words, found “a more modernistically inclined public.” Following a few mystery-shrouded years in Colonna’s life, he emerged in 1897 as a designer for the well-known scholar, merchant and connoisseur of Fine taste, Sigfried Bing, in Paris. Bing was already established as a gallerist and had his gallery on rue de Provence et rue de Chauchat redesigned in order to launch “L’Art Nouveau” on December 26, 1895. His announced program was one of uniting the Fine and decorative arts, and the gallery was billed as the only permanent collection of decorative arts in Paris. The name “L’Art Nouveau”, simply “new art” or “modern art” became the name of the turn-of-the-century style which today we describe as being hallmarked by undulating, whiplash lines with stylized floral and organic imagery, some totally abstract, and all with an elegant rhythm. Colonna’s years with L’Art Nouveau proved to be the pinnacle of his career and his designs adopted the characteristic whiplash curve of the period with elegance and appeal to the French sense of luxury. He often applied stylized bontanical forms as he designed jewelry, furniture, carpets and porcelain objects. Colonna joined L’Art Nouveau Bing along with Eugene Gaillard and Georges De Feure, to form the trio of major designers. Bing directed this team to create designs which would be both modern and appealing to the French. Colonna’s designs spoke to the French sense of luxury and elegance and he often employed botanical forms with gently curvilinear lines. Following a time of creating individually crafted jewelry pieces, Colonna advanced to the design of large scale opjects, furniture and accessories. His designs won him a silver medal at the The Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, and another at the Turin Exposition of 1902. Although L’Art Nouveau achieved high esteem among critics, it did not fare as well with the public. Bing, to his regret, closed its doors in 1903 and retired. Colonna’s artistic life, which had relied on Bing, changed abruptly and he returned to North America. He continued to work as an architect, artist, art dealer, antique dealer and designer. His later life seems to have been productive, and he lived to the age of 86, but the robust flowering of his career were the short years between 1897 and 1903. He died in Nice in 1948.

Creator:
Edouard Colonna (Cabinetmaker)
Dimensions:
Height: 83 in (210.82 cm)Width: 57 in (144.78 cm)Depth: 16 in (40.64 cm)
Style:
Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Other
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1900-1909
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1900
Condition:
Seller Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Reference Number:
Seller: #12331stDibs: LU843714460071

More From This Seller

View All

Henri Rapin 1925 Paris Exposition Model Cabinet

By Henri Rapin

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Classic French Art Deco cabinet by Henri Rapin, 1925, in cherry, rosewood, burled mahogany, ebony, and silvered metal. Finished interior with shelves. 31.5...

Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Cabinets

Materials

Silver Plate

Henri Rapin 1925 Paris Exposition Model Cabinet

$48,000

Bouillaguet French Art Deco Cabinet

By Bouillaguet

Located in Philadelphia, PA

French Art Deco semainier in teak with bronze fittings.

Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Cabinets

Materials

Teak

Bouillaguet French Art Deco Cabinet

$18,500

Louis Majorelle Cabinet with Wisteria Marquetry

By Louis Majorelle

Located in Philadelphia, PA

French Art Nouveau small cabinet with marquetry by Louis Majorelle, circa 1900-1903. Documented.

Category

Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Cabinets

Louis Majorelle Cabinet with Wisteria Marquetry

$12,500

French Art Deco Cabinet by Maxime Old, Rosewood with Parchment Doors

By Maxime Old

Located in Philadelphia, PA

French Art Deco cabinet by Maxime Old in rosewood with original parchment front and bronze mounts. Signed on verso with full signature. 89" long x 19" deep x 39" high. Maxime Old was (1910-1991) born in Maisons-Alfort (a suburb of Paris), France. He was the grandson and son of fine cabinetmakers. He received his formal training at Ecole Boulle in Paris and his work attracted the attention of the influential school director, Andre Frechet...

Category

20th Century French Art Deco Cabinets

Materials

Rosewood

French Art Deco Cabinet by Maxime Old, Rosewood with Parchment Doors

$48,000

Eric Bagge Modernist Cabinet

By Eric Bagge

Located in Philadelphia, PA

French Modernist Art Deco cabinet by Eric Bagge in Brazilian rosewood and elm, with nickeled bronze lockplates, circa 1930. Measures: 52" wide x 63.5" high.

Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Cabinets

Materials

Rosewood

Eric Bagge Modernist Cabinet

$34,500

Michel Dufet Modernist Cabinet

By Michel Dufet

Located in Philadelphia, PA

French modernist cabinet. Pictured in period documentation.

Category

Vintage 1930s French Cabinets

Materials

Ash, Rosewood

Michel Dufet Modernist Cabinet

$36,500

2010s Italian Cabinets

Materials

Wood

Colonna Cabinet

$24,512

Art Nouveau Burlwood Cabinet

Located in Tulsa, OK

**Please Read Entire Description** Please view all listing pictures on a laptop if possible. Some cell phones don’t display all listing pictures and some could be pictures relatin...

Category

Vintage 1940s Italian Art Nouveau Cabinets

Materials

Maple, Oak, Burl

Art Nouveau Burlwood Cabinet

$4,238

Art Nouveau Mahogany Display Cabinet

Located in Brussels, BE

Art Nouveau mahogany display cabinet.

Category

Vintage 1920s European Art Nouveau Cabinets

Materials

Wood

Art Nouveau Mahogany Display Cabinet

$3,495

Art Nouveau Oak Small Side Cabinet

Located in Darmstadt, DE

Small side cabinet made of oak from the Art Nouveau period, very nice simple shape, practical in use. In very good restored condition.

Category

Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Cabinets

Materials

Oak

Art Nouveau Oak Small Side Cabinet

$1,945 Sale Price

20% Off

Art Nouveau Display Cabinet Period 1890

Located in Potters Bar, GB

Impressive art nouveau mahogany display cabinet. Circa 1890 This cabinet is raised upon cabriole legs with a shaped frieze. The bow central door having lead work glass. The upper sec...

Category

Antique 1890s Art Nouveau Cabinets

Materials

Mahogany

Art Nouveau Display Cabinet Period 1890

$1,961

Art Nouveau Display Cabinet Period 1890

Located in Potters Bar, GB

Impressive art nouveau mahogany display cabinet. Circa 1890 This cabinet is raised upon cabriole legs with a shaped frieze. The bow central door having lead work glass. The upper sec...

Category