Émile Gallé Guéridon
Regular price
$35,000
This exquisite two-tiered Japonist table by Émile Gallé features marquetry that juxtaposes a planar rendering of an arrowhead flower with a fully articulated botanical view of the plant. The tabletop bears Gallé’s signature, elegantly integrated in a tendril-like script. Across the surface, curling leaf tips sweep counterclockwise, framing the blossom and imparting a sense of organic movement. The legs are enriched with molded brazilian rosewood carvings of arrowhead leaves, while the lower tier is adorned with a ryūsuimon motif—a Japanese textile pattern depicting cherry blossoms drifting across rippling water. One blossom is modeled in subtle relief to function as a vide-poche, seamlessly merging ornament with utility. Together, these elements exemplify Gallé’s ability to synthesize natural observation, Japonist design, and functional artistry into a unified decorative language.
Item #: YF-22057
Artist: Émile Gallé
Country: France
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 29" height, 23" width.
Materials: Rosewood, Fruitwood Marquetry
Exhibition History: A similar example is on view at the Musee de l'ecole de Nancy
Literature: A similar example appears in the "Musée de L'Ecole de Nancy" and is pictured in "Le Modern Style", by Laurence Buffet-Challié, p. 16, figure 3.
Item #: YF-22057
Artist: Émile Gallé
Country: France
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 29" height, 23" width.
Materials: Rosewood, Fruitwood Marquetry
Exhibition History: A similar example is on view at the Musee de l'ecole de Nancy
Literature: A similar example appears in the "Musée de L'Ecole de Nancy" and is pictured in "Le Modern Style", by Laurence Buffet-Challié, p. 16, figure 3.
Gallé moved to open a small woodworkers shop in 1885, where he began experimenting in marquetry designs in furniture of his own. The plants that adorn his pieces are highly varied, and insects were a frequent theme, with many of his pieces containing butterflies, dragonflies, and beetles. Capturing his natural subject matter with scientific accuracy was a notable accomplishment in Gallé’s work, while infusing it with unmatchable beauty is what he is most celebrated for.
Gallé moved to open a small woodworkers shop in 1885, where he began experimenting in marquetry designs in furniture of his own. The plants that adorn his pieces are highly varied, and insects were a frequent theme, with many of his pieces containing butterflies, dragonflies, and beetles. Capturing his natural subject matter with scientific accuracy was a notable accomplishment in Gallé’s work, while infusing it with unmatchable beauty is what he is most celebrated for.
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