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Lot Essay
Few works more perfectly capture the grand ambition and subtle sophistication of the great exhibitions of 19th century Europe than this extraordinary coffre à bijoux by Henri-Auguste Fourdinois. An important rediscovery, this magnificent work is amongst the finest furniture produced by the celebrated Maison Fourdinois, and was highly acclaimed at the exhibitions of the late 1870s and early 1880s.
AN ARCADIAN VISION
Executed in the 'néo-grec’ style, this unique cabinet is a fine manifestation of the romanticized visions of Antiquity that inspired furniture makers of the period. Its architectural form, Greek key inlay and silvered mounts of anthemion, peacocks and lions masks all evoke the glories of Ancient Greece, as do the embroidered panels of the interior which conjure a floral Arcadia. Its complex yet precise construction – replete with secret drawers and sliding panels – fully illustrate the firm’s virtuosity. Indeed, this cabinet would have proved a marvellous home for lavish jewels of the Belle Epoque.
While Fourdinois would have overseen the construction of the coffre, like many works of the period, it is the result of artistic collaboration. The delicately carved ivory figures are attributed, in the Fourdinois sale at Hôtel Drouot in 1887, to Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1827), one of the most celebrated sculptors of the Second Empire. As both sought exile in England during the 1848 Revolution, it is possible that Fourdinois and Carrier-Belleuse moved in the same circles (O. Gabet, 'French cabinet makers and England The case of the Maison Fourdinois (1835-85),' Apollo, January 2002, p. 25).
The finely chased mounts on the cabinet are attributed to sculptor Gustave-Joseph Chéret (1838-1894) in the 1883 summary of the Amsterdam Exhibition, where the cabinet was also shown. Chéret was a pupil of Carrier-Belleuse and, like his predecessor, sculpted in numerous media and created designs for Parisian firms. A teapot by Christofle created after one of his designs and shown in the Paris Exposition universelle of 1867, anticipates the fine details and antique influences visible on the present cabinet and is today in the collections of the Musee des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (D 275). The 'Gob R’ signature to one of the enamel panels could possibly be related to the enamels Alfred-Thomson Gobert (1822-1894) produced for a grand bibliothèque-virtrine shown by Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois in the 1855 Exposition universelle in Paris and acquired from by the Musée des Arts-Décoratifs from the same sale in which the present cabinet also appeared (3643).
‘LE SEUL MEUBLE ORIGINAL DE L’EBENISTERIE FRANCAISE’
This coffre à bijoux is first documented in the 1878 Exposition universelle in Paris, where it was shown together with works from other prestigious firms such as Diehl, Grohé and Barbedienne. It is illustrated in Glücq, Vues interieurs et exterieurs de l’Exposition, Paris 1878-79 on Fourdinois’ stand in the front row, not far from the monumental pair of doors acquired by the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs and today in the Musée d’Orsay (DO 1980 1). The cabinet is further engraved in both the 1878 and 1879 reviews by the Gazette des Beaux-Arts.
In the reviews of the 1878 exhibition, Fourdinois’ cabinet was lauded for use of its precious materials and unique Antique influences. In their Rapport sur les meubles à bon marché et les meubles de luxe of 1880, Tronquois and Lemoine declared the present cabinet to be perhaps the only original piece of French furniture: 'M. Fourdinois, parmi les pièces si remarquablement diverses de son exposition, présentait peut-être le seule meuble original de l’ébénisterie française. Son coffre à bijoux est d’une composition d’une grande recherche et d’un style gracieux, quoique sévère. Inspire du plus pur grec, il réunit les matières les plus précieuses…’ (p. 13).
The cabinet is further lauded in 'Les industries d’art au Champ de Mars’ in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts of 1878 for its imaginative form and careful construction : '… il y a là un effort d’imagination et une recherche de la perfection dans le travail, qui donnent à ce coffre à bijoux un grand intérêt et une rare valeur.’( p. 803.).
The cabinet was then shown in the 1882 Exposition des arts du bois organized by the Union central des Arts décoratifs in the year it was founded (fig. 1). The Union sought to instruct young generations on the value of fine cabinetry and the present lot’s prominent inclusion there-in reinforces its importance.
In 1883, the cabinet was again included in the Exhibition at Amsterdam where it was displayed alongside works by Dasson, Beurdeley and Christofle. In the Revue des Arts Décoratifs of 1883-84 Fourdinois’ coffre à bijoux was praised as a masterpiece among masterpieces : 'Ce délicieux petit meuble, véritable perle dans ce salon rempli de chefs-d’œuvre, a été exécuté avec la plus rare perfection, et les moindre ornements en ont été modelés par M.J. Chéret’ (p. 100). This effusive admiration attests to the enduring popularity, quality and significance of this splendid coffre à bijoux, which proved to be one of the finest works executed by the celebrated Maison Fourdinois.
HENRI-AUGUSTE FOURDINOIS
Henri-Auguste Fourdinois was the son of Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois (1799-1871) who founded the family’s eponymous firm in 1835. Alexandre-Georges participated in some of the earliest exhibitions in 19th century Paris, and quickly assembled an important group of clients – including King Louis Philippe – as well as commissions to furnish numerous royal residences including the Compiègne, Fontainebleau and the Palais Royal. Fourdinois participated in the London Exhibition of 1855, where his splendid neo-Renaissance cabinet was awarded the Grand Medal of Honour and directly acquired by the South Kensington Museum (today the Victoria & Albert Museum, 2692:1, 2-1856).
In 1867, Alexandre-Georges ceded the direction of the family workshop to his son Henri-Auguste, who would continue to build on his father’s many successes, notably in his participation in International Exhibitions. In the 1867 Exposition universelle in Paris, Henri-Auguste exhibited an impressive neo-Renaissance cabinet-on-stand with figural scenes and caryatid supports which was awarded the Grand Prix and acquired for the enormous sum of £2,750 by the South Kensington Museum (721: 1 to 25-1869). Another cabinet by Fourdinois with elaborate winged Sphinx supports was also shown in the exhibition, and is now in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (29921).
The present coffre à bijoux could, therefore, be considered a unique aspect of the Fourdinois’ extant oeuvre. While the firm had a well-established and successful tradition of participation in the international exhibitions of the era, many of their works were in the neo-Renaissance taste, inspired by the masters of 16th century Italy. This cabinet, however, appears to be a ground breaking innovation; a unique expression of their neoclassical sensibilities. Despite the immense popularity of his furniture at the International Exhibitions, Fourdinois’ inventive spirit often drove the firm away from the more lucrative practices of replicating famed 18th century models, which preoccupied many of his Parisian contemporaries. As a result, Henri-Auguste closed the firm in 1887, and sold much of his stock in an auction directed by Paul Chevalier and Charles Mannheim at the Hotel Drouot on 24-25 January 1887 where, in the introduction, the cabinetmaker is praised as a perfectionist without equal: ‘Pour atteindre son idéal, rien ne lui coute: ni dépense, ni peine. Tout meuble sorti de ses ateliers peut prendre immédiatement sa place dans une galerie où il émerveillera tout le monde…’
Despite the present cabinet’s great popularity at the international exhibitions, it appears not to have found a buyer until this 1887 sale, where it is listed as lot no. 5: 'joli meuble à bijoux placé sur une table en bois de satiné, ornements en argent, bronze et ivoire, du style néo-grec…’ It was almost certainly acquired in that sale by the ancestors of the present owners and has remained in their collection until the present day. A tour de force of French cabinetry, this exceptional coffre à bijoux is a fine testament of Fourdinois’ innovative taste that so impacted visitors to the grand exhibitions of the late 19th century and continues to impress today.
AN ARCADIAN VISION
Executed in the 'néo-grec’ style, this unique cabinet is a fine manifestation of the romanticized visions of Antiquity that inspired furniture makers of the period. Its architectural form, Greek key inlay and silvered mounts of anthemion, peacocks and lions masks all evoke the glories of Ancient Greece, as do the embroidered panels of the interior which conjure a floral Arcadia. Its complex yet precise construction – replete with secret drawers and sliding panels – fully illustrate the firm’s virtuosity. Indeed, this cabinet would have proved a marvellous home for lavish jewels of the Belle Epoque.
While Fourdinois would have overseen the construction of the coffre, like many works of the period, it is the result of artistic collaboration. The delicately carved ivory figures are attributed, in the Fourdinois sale at Hôtel Drouot in 1887, to Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1827), one of the most celebrated sculptors of the Second Empire. As both sought exile in England during the 1848 Revolution, it is possible that Fourdinois and Carrier-Belleuse moved in the same circles (O. Gabet, 'French cabinet makers and England The case of the Maison Fourdinois (1835-85),' Apollo, January 2002, p. 25).
The finely chased mounts on the cabinet are attributed to sculptor Gustave-Joseph Chéret (1838-1894) in the 1883 summary of the Amsterdam Exhibition, where the cabinet was also shown. Chéret was a pupil of Carrier-Belleuse and, like his predecessor, sculpted in numerous media and created designs for Parisian firms. A teapot by Christofle created after one of his designs and shown in the Paris Exposition universelle of 1867, anticipates the fine details and antique influences visible on the present cabinet and is today in the collections of the Musee des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (D 275). The 'Gob R’ signature to one of the enamel panels could possibly be related to the enamels Alfred-Thomson Gobert (1822-1894) produced for a grand bibliothèque-virtrine shown by Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois in the 1855 Exposition universelle in Paris and acquired from by the Musée des Arts-Décoratifs from the same sale in which the present cabinet also appeared (3643).
‘LE SEUL MEUBLE ORIGINAL DE L’EBENISTERIE FRANCAISE’
This coffre à bijoux is first documented in the 1878 Exposition universelle in Paris, where it was shown together with works from other prestigious firms such as Diehl, Grohé and Barbedienne. It is illustrated in Glücq, Vues interieurs et exterieurs de l’Exposition, Paris 1878-79 on Fourdinois’ stand in the front row, not far from the monumental pair of doors acquired by the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs and today in the Musée d’Orsay (DO 1980 1). The cabinet is further engraved in both the 1878 and 1879 reviews by the Gazette des Beaux-Arts.
In the reviews of the 1878 exhibition, Fourdinois’ cabinet was lauded for use of its precious materials and unique Antique influences. In their Rapport sur les meubles à bon marché et les meubles de luxe of 1880, Tronquois and Lemoine declared the present cabinet to be perhaps the only original piece of French furniture: 'M. Fourdinois, parmi les pièces si remarquablement diverses de son exposition, présentait peut-être le seule meuble original de l’ébénisterie française. Son coffre à bijoux est d’une composition d’une grande recherche et d’un style gracieux, quoique sévère. Inspire du plus pur grec, il réunit les matières les plus précieuses…’ (p. 13).
The cabinet is further lauded in 'Les industries d’art au Champ de Mars’ in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts of 1878 for its imaginative form and careful construction : '… il y a là un effort d’imagination et une recherche de la perfection dans le travail, qui donnent à ce coffre à bijoux un grand intérêt et une rare valeur.’( p. 803.).
The cabinet was then shown in the 1882 Exposition des arts du bois organized by the Union central des Arts décoratifs in the year it was founded (fig. 1). The Union sought to instruct young generations on the value of fine cabinetry and the present lot’s prominent inclusion there-in reinforces its importance.
In 1883, the cabinet was again included in the Exhibition at Amsterdam where it was displayed alongside works by Dasson, Beurdeley and Christofle. In the Revue des Arts Décoratifs of 1883-84 Fourdinois’ coffre à bijoux was praised as a masterpiece among masterpieces : 'Ce délicieux petit meuble, véritable perle dans ce salon rempli de chefs-d’œuvre, a été exécuté avec la plus rare perfection, et les moindre ornements en ont été modelés par M.J. Chéret’ (p. 100). This effusive admiration attests to the enduring popularity, quality and significance of this splendid coffre à bijoux, which proved to be one of the finest works executed by the celebrated Maison Fourdinois.
HENRI-AUGUSTE FOURDINOIS
Henri-Auguste Fourdinois was the son of Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois (1799-1871) who founded the family’s eponymous firm in 1835. Alexandre-Georges participated in some of the earliest exhibitions in 19th century Paris, and quickly assembled an important group of clients – including King Louis Philippe – as well as commissions to furnish numerous royal residences including the Compiègne, Fontainebleau and the Palais Royal. Fourdinois participated in the London Exhibition of 1855, where his splendid neo-Renaissance cabinet was awarded the Grand Medal of Honour and directly acquired by the South Kensington Museum (today the Victoria & Albert Museum, 2692:1, 2-1856).
In 1867, Alexandre-Georges ceded the direction of the family workshop to his son Henri-Auguste, who would continue to build on his father’s many successes, notably in his participation in International Exhibitions. In the 1867 Exposition universelle in Paris, Henri-Auguste exhibited an impressive neo-Renaissance cabinet-on-stand with figural scenes and caryatid supports which was awarded the Grand Prix and acquired for the enormous sum of £2,750 by the South Kensington Museum (721: 1 to 25-1869). Another cabinet by Fourdinois with elaborate winged Sphinx supports was also shown in the exhibition, and is now in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (29921).
The present coffre à bijoux could, therefore, be considered a unique aspect of the Fourdinois’ extant oeuvre. While the firm had a well-established and successful tradition of participation in the international exhibitions of the era, many of their works were in the neo-Renaissance taste, inspired by the masters of 16th century Italy. This cabinet, however, appears to be a ground breaking innovation; a unique expression of their neoclassical sensibilities. Despite the immense popularity of his furniture at the International Exhibitions, Fourdinois’ inventive spirit often drove the firm away from the more lucrative practices of replicating famed 18th century models, which preoccupied many of his Parisian contemporaries. As a result, Henri-Auguste closed the firm in 1887, and sold much of his stock in an auction directed by Paul Chevalier and Charles Mannheim at the Hotel Drouot on 24-25 January 1887 where, in the introduction, the cabinetmaker is praised as a perfectionist without equal: ‘Pour atteindre son idéal, rien ne lui coute: ni dépense, ni peine. Tout meuble sorti de ses ateliers peut prendre immédiatement sa place dans une galerie où il émerveillera tout le monde…’
Despite the present cabinet’s great popularity at the international exhibitions, it appears not to have found a buyer until this 1887 sale, where it is listed as lot no. 5: 'joli meuble à bijoux placé sur une table en bois de satiné, ornements en argent, bronze et ivoire, du style néo-grec…’ It was almost certainly acquired in that sale by the ancestors of the present owners and has remained in their collection until the present day. A tour de force of French cabinetry, this exceptional coffre à bijoux is a fine testament of Fourdinois’ innovative taste that so impacted visitors to the grand exhibitions of the late 19th century and continues to impress today.