Louis Majorelle

LOUIS MAJORELLE (France, 1859-1926).
Art Nouveau side table. France, ca. 1900.
Structure in oak, walnut veneer and fruit marquetry.
Side handles in gilded bronze.
Signed.
Measurements: 81,5 x 84 x 66 cm.

Two-level side table made by Louis Majorelle, an essential figure of the Nancy School and one of the great names of French Art Nouveau furniture. The piece features an elegant structure in oak wood, with walnut veneer and two superimposed surfaces decorated with fruit marquetry.

The design combines functionality and ornamental refinement. The naturalist-inspired marquetry is subtly integrated into the surface of the wood, while the gilded bronze side handles add a high-quality sculptural accent. The fluidity of the lines, the movement of the supports and the delicacy of the fruit motifs fully reflect Majorelle's language, based on the observation of nature and craftsmanship excellence.

The son of a furniture maker, Majorelle trained in Nancy and later at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After his father's death he returned to Nancy to run the family business, orienting his production towards Art Nouveau under the influence of Émile Gallé. From the 1890s he incorporated naturalistic marquetry and emblematic motifs such as water lilies, thistles and dragonflies. In 1900 he also created his own forge workshop to produce ironwork and metal elements in line with his designs.