A French giltmetal and mother-of-pearl-mounted mahogany armoire

IN THE CHINOISERIE STYLE, BY GABRIEL VIARDOT, PARIS, CIRCA 1880

Details

A French giltmetal and mother-of-pearl-mounted mahogany armoire
In the Chinoiserie Style, By Gabriel Viardot, Paris, Circa 1880
With pierced foliate cresting, above a geometric frieze, the left side with a pair of cupboard doors, carved with trailing blossom and fretwork and with mother-of-pearl-inlaid reserves depicting land and seascapes, foliage and butterflies, the interior with two shelves and a pair of drawers, the lock-plate stamped HILBRUNNER/PARIS, above an open section with fretwork bracket supports, with a pair of recessed drawers to one corner, the lower section with an inlaid compartmentalised drawer above a further three inlaid drawers, the right side with a mirrored door, the interior with a single shelf, hanging rail and hooks, the sides carved with bamboo and foliage, on shaped feet, signed G Viardot to the bottom right side
61 in. (156.1 cm.) wide; 95 in. (241.2 cm.) high; 21 in. (53.3 cm.) deep

Lot Essay

Gabriel Viardot succeded to his father's business in 1861. His career began as a wood carver and he produced small furniture, sculpturally carved with naturalistic motifs and animals. At the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris, his finely sculpted objects were well received. However, with the increasing importation of similarly produced Swiss and German articles, Viardot found less opportunity for these. Around 1870 he turned to the idea of producing Meubles genre Chinois et Japonais. The taste in Europe for such pieces was well established and at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris he was awarded a silver medal. He later received a gold medal in the 1889 Exposition.

A collection of pieces by Gabriel Viardot was sold in these rooms, 29 October 1998, lots 127-133.

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