Renaissance Style Wooden Cabinet Attributed to H.A. Fourdinois, France, 1893

Important two-tiered sideboard attributed to H.A. Fourdinois made in natural and carved wood : the lower part made up of four panels, two concave ones and two doors, richly ornated with a polychrome enameled floral decoration and gilt bronze plaques. A large dual drawer is surmounted by the upper part of the sideboard, opening with two glazed doors, framed by detached columns. The entire unit is topped with a pediment onto which a female bust is carved in relief within a medallion on a gilt background. With a matching set of twelve chairs. The Forney library in Paris preserves order registers of the Fourdinois as well as sketches books and pictures representing pieces of furniture made by the Fourdinois workshops. In this documentation, some elements enable us to link this sideboard with Henri-Auguste Fourdinois’ productions, such as the large scrolls linking the upper part to the lower part of the sideboard, as well as the detached columns carved at their lower third. (picture n°1 attached) Notebook containing ink-sketches coming from the Fourdinois workshop shows a project for a pelmet, beautified with a centering trophy composed of a torch and a quiver within in a foliage wreath, this motif obviously reused by the Fourdinois on the central decoration of the panels of our sideboard. (picture n°2 attached) The firm of Fourdinois, considered during the Second Empire as the greatest furniture manufacturer in Paris, was founded in 1835 by Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois (1799-1871). It was developped in the context of the Expositions Universelles. At the time, the firm already produces furniture of the Neo-Renaissance style, such as a dresser that won the Great Medal at the London Universal Exhibition of 1851. The son, Henri-Auguste Fourdinois (1830-1907), joined the firm in 1860 and will become head of the firm in 1867. The high quality of his designs was remarked at the Universal Exhibition in 1862, when the jury awarded him two medals « for Excellence of Composition and Execution ». Henri-Auguste, now sole in charge, brought the firm to the summit of its achievements at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris by winning the Grand Prize for his stand. Apart from the commissions he executed for the « Mobilier de la Couronne », he also produced high quality furniture for the Parisian bourgeoisie. The firm is at its zenith during the years 1862-1880. At this time, it is considered as an example to follow for other cabinet-makers, whether they are French, British or American. Through the quality of execution and the extreme care taken in the decoration of furniture, H.-A. Fourdinois was particularly appreciated by Napoleon III and Eugenie...

An outstanding carved cabinet in the Renaissance style. The upper part consists in two stages with arcades, divided in six compartments by rich columns with Corinthian capitals, and topped by a carved entablature. The lower part opens with three doors, ornated with masks, hybrid figures and foliates, and relies on four strong feet. This cabinet, probably executed for an amateur or a collector, is a perfect model for the neo-Renaissance style, that rose in the 1830’s, in France with the designers Claude-Aimé Chenavard (1798-1838) and Michel Liénard (1810-1870). It came some years after the Gothic Revival, but met a longer success during the 19th century (at the Expositions des Produits de l’industrie in 1844 and 1849, and at the Universal Exhibitions in 1855, 1867 and 1878). Inspiration was found in the French Renaissance, more specifically in the art of Henri II’s reign, and cabinet-makers used dark carved...

19th Century French Walnut & Oak Neo Renaissance Cabinet Attributed to Fourdinois Dimensions : 94.5" Tall X 55" Wide X 23" Deep This gorgeous cabinet was made in France in the late...

Condition : Partly dating from the Renaissance. The backs and the drawer’s insides have been re-done. Historical background The 16th century is a prosperous period for Lyon...