This page presents our bureaux collection made in collaboration with great artists of the Second Empire, and adorned with a meticulous, delicate decoration of porcelain marqueted flowers, a technic developped by the talented Julien-Nicolas Rivart.
Materials : Rosewood, gilded bronze, porcelain marquetry.
Localisation : France, between 1850 and 1867
Dimensions : H : 106 cm, L : 89 cm, P : 48 cm
Writing desk of roses and campanulas
This elegant writing desk is built in a beautiful dark and warm wood, enhanced by gilt bronze ornaments and flower porcelain.
The finely chiseled friezes in gilt bronze follow the piece’s lines and frame the porcelain bouquet, while the espagnolettes on the four jambs make an echo to the feminine charm of the decoration. The desk is crowned by an open-work gilt bronze balcony, enabling to lay objects on it, and equipped by four drawers opening from outside, their locks adorned of branches.
Equipped with a fine gilt bronze key, this writing desk includes several shelves in its rosewood interior, and a blotter made in a beautiful red leather.
Porcelain marquetry of roses and campanulas
Rivart, a skillful artist, achieved an aesthetic synthesis between the Florentine hard stone marquetry and the decoration of porcelain slabs from 18th century.
We have here an example of these rare decorations with a bouquet of roses and white campanulas on a rosewood background.
Detail of the porcelain marquetry
Materials : Rosewood, burl wood, gilded bronze, leather and porcelain marquetry.
Localisation : France, between 1850 and 1867
Dimensions : H : 91 cm, L : 76 cm, P : 45 cm
Engraved « ALPH. GIROUX ET Cie / Paris »
Gorgeous writing desk
A rare example of Rivart ‘s collaboration with the prestigious Alphonse Giroux et Cie manufactory, this piece of furniture stands out for its sophistication. The hues of brown obtained by various woods give this precious work a great luminosity. The feet are adorned with gilt bronze espagnolettes of very fine manufacture, and the shelf on top of it is framed by an openwork balcony.
Opening with a key, the chest of this writing desk offers a large shelf and three drawers with handles in gilt bronze, decorated with wooden marquetry patterns. The writing shelf, of curved forms, is lined with a caramel-colored leather blotter.
This writing desk is all the more interesting for it is the first time that a collaboration between Rivart and Giroux is attested.
Porcelain marquetry of roses and campanulas
The dominant brown and gold tone is only broken by the flowers of fresh colors provided by Julien-Nicolas Rivart . This beautiful decoration depicts here a bouquet of roses and buttercups on the chest, and a beautiful frieze of morning glories on the shelf.
See the details of the porcelain marquetry.
Materials : rosewood, brul wood, gilded bronze, leather and porcelain marquetry.
Localisation : France, between 1850 and 1867
Dimensions : H : 91 cm, L : 76 cm, P : 45 cm
Engraved « ALPH. GIROUX ET Cie / Paris »
Curved writing desk
This charming writing desk is designed in curves : the rounded feet follows a movement that also curves the sides of the chest. On this one, the rosewood has been plaited in a nice work of marquetry in lozenges. The elegant sobriety of black and gold highlights the luminosity of the rosewood veneer, the false marble, and the vivid colors of the porcelain flowers.
Open, the desk offers its beautiful rose wood veneers and its mahogany lozenges marquetry. The chest includes two shelves and five drawers equipped with gilt bronze vegetable shaped handles. At last, the shelf is embellished by an embossed and gilt leather blotter.
Porcelain marquetry of roses and campanulas
The chest is indeed graciously decorated with Julien-Nicolas Rivart ‘s porcelains. We have here a beautiful example of these rare decorations with a bouquet of roses, white campanulas, pansies, tulip and forget-me-nots. The shelf is adorned as well by a beautiful frieze of wild flowers.
Detail of the porcelain marquetry
Materials : Rosewood veneer, gilt bronze, porcelain marquetry.
Localisation : France, between 1853 and 1856
Dimensions : H : 80 cm, L : 159 cm, P : 98 cm
The porcelain decoration is signed « Guérou 1853 » .
The lock is engraved « Exécuté en 1856 par Tahan Ébéniste Breveté de l’Empereur ».
Two stamps under the shelf : « RIVART & ANDRIEUX Brevetés Sans G du G ».
Louis XV style bureau
This flat bureau of an exceptional execution, in the Louis XV style, is the result of a collaboration between the woodmaker Tahan, the audacious Julien-Nicolas Rivart, assisted by the painter of flowers Pierre-Joseph Guérou, of the Manufacture de Sèvres.
Our bureau is a testimony of Tahan’s taste for the “Rivart method”. Indeed, the woodmaking work was made by the one who was a privileged collaborator of Rivart, the reknown Tahan. The latter signed “Patented woodmaker of the Emperor” and dated his work of 1856 on the lock. His exceptional talent was here exploited to realise a bureau with a sumptuous gilt bronze decoration.
This violin-shaped table is composed by four espagnolettes adorning the curved feet, as well as four pearled shells animated with foliages on the violin-shaped sleepers.
Porcelain marquetry of roses and campanulas
The flower crown adorning the shelf was thus painted with a great range of hues and the freshness of porcelain painting. We can read on one of the petals the signature « Guérou » as well as the date 1853.
Detail of the porcelain marquetry
Signature Guérou and date 1853
Pierre-Joseph Guérou
Pierre-Joseph Guérou, painter of flowers and former painter of the Sèvres Manufactory in the years 1847-1848, realizes here a gorgeous painted decoration of naturalistic flowers, that he signs and dates of 1853. He unfolds here a complete palette of complementary tints, with purple campanulas and a yellow tulip for example, that create a remarkable luminosity.
Presently, very rare furniture pieces bearing Guérou’s signature are known, which makes our desk all the more rare.
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