Rare 19th century French solid kingwood ‘whatnot’
This rare 19th century French solid kingwood whatnot is certainly a work of cabinetmaker, leader of Japonism, Gabriel Viardot (1830-1904).
Gabriel Viardot distinguished himself from the 1870s, in the production of “Chinese-Japanese genre” furniture, of which he specialises. He drew his inspiration after participating in the Universal Exhibition of 1867, where Japan participated for the first time in Europe. His production of characteristic furniture was sometimes made from lacquered and embossed panels sent directly from China or Japan often decorated with Tonkin mother-of-pearl inlays, but always on a sometimes dyed sycomore frame. This exotic light-coloured wood has often been confused with beech. The furniture was subsequently embellished with ornamental bronzes.
It is surmounted by a varnished polished bronze dragon that is frequently found in the cabinetmaker’s production. The lower part also has shelves whose upright is decorated with a wrapped dragon in varnished polished bronze.
H.98cm
W.69cm
D.40cm
