GABRIEL VIARDOT (1830-1906) ET MASATOSHI HAMADA (XIX-XXE)

Lot 4
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Estimation :
100000 - 150000 EUR
Result without fees
Result : 86 000EUR
GABRIEL VIARDOT (1830-1906) ET MASATOSHI HAMADA (XIX-XXE)
Exceptional cabinet furniture in stained wood with a curved box decorated with a sinister decoration with dragons and carved dogs of Fô. The panels of the doors lacquered by the famous Japanese lacquerer Hamada. present a decoration of bouquets of flowers in vases on a saddle. Stamped " G Viardot Paris 1885 ". Signed with the signature stamp of the lacquerer Masatoshi Hamada. H. : 232 cm   P. : 61 cm  L. : 148 cm Probably made for the Universal Exhibition of Antwerp in 1885, the same year as our piece of furniture, where it received a gold medal. Characteristic piece of furniture of the "Chinese-Japanese style" that Gabriel Viardot was able to observe in particular at the Universal Exhibition of 1867. Lacks the backs. Some missing decoration. GABRIEL VIARDOT The piece of furniture that we present for sale is both a remarkable example of Gabriel Viardot's creations and a reflection of the taste of an era for Japanese furniture. In 1853, Japan opened its doors to trade with the West, provoking the arrival in Europe of numerous objects as well as the discovery of a new aesthetic that aroused a great deal of enthusiasm among artists and the public. Baudelaire evokes in his correspondence, as early as 1862, the "japanese" that he buys in specialized shops that are developing in Paris. Artists like James Tissot, Manet, Degas, Monet, Fantin-Latour are also part of the amateurs of Japanese creations and contribute to their diffusion, just like the Parisian universal exhibitions of 1878, 1889 and 1900. From the 1870s onwards, collectors (Henri Cernuschi, Emile Guimet) and artists set off to discover the Land of the Rising Sun, which only increased the public's enthusiasm for this new aesthetic. After training as a woodcarver, Gabriel Viardot was one of the precursors of the new "Chinese-Japanese" genre. Following the infatuation of his contemporaries, he creates small pieces of furniture whose style he revolutionizes. The success is such that in 1872, the art critic Philippe Burty invents the term of "japonisme". Viardot will be one of the main diffusers of this style. He manufactures numerous showcases and saddles in accordance with the passion of the elites for the objects of art, the bronzes and the trinkets. His workshop has a hundred people, cabinetmakers or sculptors, which allows him to honor both prestigious clients (for example a bedroom and a desk for Georges Clémenceau) and specialized businesses. His creations are celebrated for their perfect execution and he receives many medals at the World Fairs. He regularly signs his works but only appears to date certain creations, most often those that he considers important. This is the case of our presentation furniture, dated 1885, the year Gabriel Viardot received the gold medal in Antwerp. While he usually uses panels directly imported from China or Japan, here he uses the lacquerer Masatoshi Hamada who makes the decoration of the doors and signs his work, thus reinforcing the prestigious character of this work. The dragon adorning the cornice of our cabinet, Viardot's favourite animal, is here associated with a decoration of flowering plants and vases which corresponds to the ornamental vocabulary of the famous cabinetmaker. Following the gold medal of 1885, Viardot is decorated with the Legion of Honour and each of his participations will be synonymous with success. Appreciated by his contemporaries, his furniture is today present in many private collections but also exposed in the most prestigious museums.
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