Gabriel Viardot

GABRIEL VIARDOT (Paris, 1830-1906).
Cabinet.
Exotic woods and mother of pearl.
Measurements: 192 x 110 x 46 cm.
Chinese-Japanese furniture whose main body opens on different levels, shelves and compartments decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays. Its light and stylized structure presents frequent elements in Gabriel Viardot's ornamental background, such as the dragon in round bulge of its upper part or the oriental influence of the rest of the piece of furniture. It is an architecturally conceived cabinet, raised on mixtilinear legs of typically oriental character, with a waist decorated with a fretwork border and a top conceived as a traditional Chinese roof. The latter is notable for its upturned eaves, a type of decoration that appeared during the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) and was the standard type used until the Song dynasty (960 - 1279).
Gabriel Viardot was a cabinetmaker specializing in the production of furniture of "Sino-Japanese genre". He began his career as a wood carver in 1849, when he sent some pieces of naturalistic decorative furniture to the horticultural exhibition. 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 in Rambuteau. At this time, Gabriel Viardot worked with his brother Louis Gustave under the name "Viardot Brothers and Co." In 1860, he opened his own workshop, "G. Viardot "in Grand-Chantier, a family business that he maintained until 1872. He decided to devote himself to "Chinese-Japanese style furniture", which he was able to see predominantly at the 1867 World's Fair. At this same exhibition, Viardot won four medals. It is with this production that he was awarded a silver medal at the 1878 World's Fair. 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. Of the bronze ornaments he made all the designs by hand. Over the years, his success continued to grow, especially at the Nice exhibitions and the eighth exhibition of the Central Union of Decorative Arts in 1884. In 1885, it participated in the Antwerp World Exhibition, where it won a gold medal. At this time, the store employed 90 to 100 workers, sculptors or cabinetmakers. After this exhibition, Viardot was promoted to the rank of Chevalier in the Legion of Honor (December 29, 1885). In 1889, he participated in the World Exhibition held in Paris and received a gold medal. He obtained the same award at the 1900 World's Fair.