Description/    

With a shape made up of curves and counter-curves, this stool is strongly influenced by Far-Eastern works, particularly Chinese or Japanese furniture. Consisting of three shelves brought together with the four feet, this little piece has a completely original profile, with a narrowing in the upper part. The upper shelf is the smallest.  The middle is decorated with latticed panels, just like the lower table. The feet are trimmed with gilded bronze ornaments, also influenced by Japanese bronzes. The completely wooden parts are engraved with scrolls, like the center of the middle shelf whose engraving adopts a scalloped profile. The shapes of this stool, as well as the latticed wood and the bronze decorations are to be compared with a cabinet conserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London (W.17:1, 2-1971), signed by Gabriel Viardot and dated in 1888. The bronze of this stool can also be compared with those of a showcase for this cabinetmaker, preserved in the Musee d’Orsay (OAO 1652).



GABRIEL VIARDOT (1830 – 1906) :

Gabriel Viardot was a famous Parisian cabinetmaker specializing in the production of “Chinese-Japanese genre” furniture in the last third of the 19th century. This stool is also what he called, during the 1878 World Exposition, a small “living room piece.”


He started his career as a wood sculptor in 1849, when he sent some furniture pieces with a naturalistic décor to the horticulture exposition. He then became the head of a small team of sculptors when he was only 19 years old. In 1853, he had a factory and a furniture store located at 36 and 38 Rambuteau road. At this time, he was working with his brother, Louis Gustave, under the name “Viardot Brothers and Co.” In 1860, he created his own workshop, “G. Viardot” at 5 Grand-Chantier road and became head of the family business, which he kept until 1872. He decided to devote himself to “Chinese-Japanese style furniture,” which he was able to observe mainly at the 1867 World Exposition. At this same exposition, he was awarded four medals. It’s with this production that he was awarded at the 1878 World Exposition with a silver medal. Following that, he practiced consecutively at 15 Chaume road, 3 Archives road in 1878 and 36 Amelot road near the end of the century. His furniture was produced thanks to lacquered and carved panels sent directly from China or Japan and decorated with mother of pearl inlays from Tonkin. He enlivened his furniture with bronze decorations, of which he made all the designs by hand. Over the course of the years, the success only continued to grow, particularly at the expositions of Nice and the 8th exposition of the Central Union of Decorative Arts in 1884. In 1885, he participated in the World Exposition of Antwerp where he obtained a gold medal. At this time, the shop employed 90 – 100 workers, sculptors or cabinetmakers, a lot of who were educated directly by Gabriel Viardot. Following this exposition, he was promoted to the rank of Knight in the Legion of Honor (December 29 1885). In 1889, he was at the World Exposition that took place in Paris and awarded a gold medal. He obtained the same award at the 1900 World Exposition.


The stool that we present here is completely characteristic of these “Chinese-Japanese style pieces” in its shape and latticed frames. Around 1880 – 1890, the production of Viardot became less exuberant and marked a return to the symmetry and straight lines. This stool demonstrates this return towards greater sensibility.