ATTRIBUTED TO GABRIEL VIARDOT, PARIS, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

These profusely-carved and highly impressive vitrines are attributed to the celebrated ébéniste, Gabriel Viardot, who began his career in his father's workshop, ultimately succeeding him in 1861. Together with firms such as Vibert et Perret (La Maison des Bambous), Viardot and his contemporaries formed the cornerstone of French furniture-making in the then-fashionable Chinese and Japanese style. Specializing in 'meubles et articles de Chine et Japon', Viardot exhibited and was lauded at the Expositions Universelles of 1867 (four medals), 1878 (silver medal) and 1889 (gold medal) and the jury acclaimed 'ses meubles fort interessants tant par leur tonalité que par leur parfaite expression'. The ébéniste created furniture ranging from bookcases to bedroom sets which drew on works from China, Japan and Vietnam among others. A cabinet by Viardot dating to 1888 is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Victoria and Albert Museum, Art and Design in Europe and America 1800-1900, New York 1987, pp. 134-135). A related fire-surround attributed to Viardot, featuring gilt and polychrome-painted dragons, was sold Christie’s, New York, 18 April 2013, lot 13 ($117,750).