Gabriel Viardot

GABRIEL VIARDOT (France, 1830-1906).
Pair of Japanese armchairs. France, late 19th century.
Carved walnut wood and upholstery with oriental-inspired decoration.
One has a label on the skirt.
Measurements: 103 x 64 x 57 cm each.

Pair of Japanese armchairs made by Gabriel Viardot, one of the great French specialists in Chinese-Japanese furniture during the second half of the 19th century. The pieces combine a carved walnut structure with backrests and seats upholstered with oriental-inspired plant and landscape motifs.

The design stands out for the ornamental richness of the wood, with backrests with undulating profiles, openwork arms, carved decoration and zoomorphic claw-shaped supports. Particularly striking are the lateral sculptural finials, which add character and presence to the whole, within a theatrical and refined interpretation of European japonisme.

Viardot, who began as a wood sculptor, opened his own workshop in Paris and turned his production to Japanese furniture after the Universal Exposition of 1867. His pieces combined richly worked woods, lacquered panels, mother-of-pearl inlays and bronzes designed by the artist himself.

His success was recognized at numerous international exhibitions, winning medals at the Universal Exhibitions of 1878, 1889 and 1900, as well as the gold medal in Antwerp in 1885, the year he was named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. The preservation as a pair and the presence of a label on the skirt increase the collector interest of these armchairs within the French japanese furniture.