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Lot Essay
Cf: Françoise-thérèse Carpentier et al., L'Ecole de Nancy, 1987, pp. 188-189 (A similar suite by Vallin for Charles Masson, circa 1904
See also: Alastair Duncan, The Paris Salons 1885-1914, Volume III: Furniture, Woodbridge, 1996, pp. 553-556 (Another example of Vallin's work, including the dining room for Eugène Corbin)
Eugène Vallin (1856-1922) was raised in Nancy, and although his earliest efforts in design were in the Gothic taste, by 1894 his work fully encompassed the ideals of the Ecole de Nancy, formed by Victor Prouvé, Louis Majorelle and the Daum Frères with Emile Gallé as president in 1901. The philosophy behind the organisation was the belief that a renaissance in the decorative arts was underway, with Nature providing the inspiration for a new look in furniture and accessories. Vallin relied less on surface decoration in his furniture than Majorelle or Gallé, who frequently embellished with ormolu and marquetry.
Vallin created the famous portal for Gallé's studio, in which was carved Gallé's motto of truth to Nature: Ma racine est au fond des bois... (My roots are in the depths of the woods...). Some of Vallin's most significant works are preserved in the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy (the dining suite designed for Charles Masson, 1904).
See also: Alastair Duncan, The Paris Salons 1885-1914, Volume III: Furniture, Woodbridge, 1996, pp. 553-556 (Another example of Vallin's work, including the dining room for Eugène Corbin)
Eugène Vallin (1856-1922) was raised in Nancy, and although his earliest efforts in design were in the Gothic taste, by 1894 his work fully encompassed the ideals of the Ecole de Nancy, formed by Victor Prouvé, Louis Majorelle and the Daum Frères with Emile Gallé as president in 1901. The philosophy behind the organisation was the belief that a renaissance in the decorative arts was underway, with Nature providing the inspiration for a new look in furniture and accessories. Vallin relied less on surface decoration in his furniture than Majorelle or Gallé, who frequently embellished with ormolu and marquetry.
Vallin created the famous portal for Gallé's studio, in which was carved Gallé's motto of truth to Nature: Ma racine est au fond des bois... (My roots are in the depths of the woods...). Some of Vallin's most significant works are preserved in the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy (the dining suite designed for Charles Masson, 1904).