Lot Essay
These delicate ormolu gueridons (lots 168 & 169) are exemplary of Zwiener's style which fused the high-rococo opulence of the Louis XV period with Art Nouveau. Joseph Emmanuel Zwiener was one of the premier haut luxe cabinetmakers of the late 19th century and was awarded a médaille d'or at the 1889 Paris Exhibition for his masterwork jewellery-cabinet which sold Christie's, London, 17 March 2011, lot 409 (£623,650).
Jean-Henri Jansen (1854-1928) founded the celebrated decorators Maison Jansen in 1880. Around 1900 Maison Jansen acquired the archives and rights of the Paris workshop of Zwiener who had been summoned to his native Germany in 1895 to produce a suite of furniture for Kaiser Wilhelm II (d. 1941). Thus, after 1895 Maison Jansen took over Zwiener's Paris atelier, renaming it Zwiener Jansen Successeur and adopting the practice of stamping pieces, as can be seen in this lot, 'ZJ'.
Another example of this model sold Christie's, London, 15 March 2012, lot 38 (£43,250).
Jean-Henri Jansen (1854-1928) founded the celebrated decorators Maison Jansen in 1880. Around 1900 Maison Jansen acquired the archives and rights of the Paris workshop of Zwiener who had been summoned to his native Germany in 1895 to produce a suite of furniture for Kaiser Wilhelm II (d. 1941). Thus, after 1895 Maison Jansen took over Zwiener's Paris atelier, renaming it Zwiener Jansen Successeur and adopting the practice of stamping pieces, as can be seen in this lot, 'ZJ'.
Another example of this model sold Christie's, London, 15 March 2012, lot 38 (£43,250).