Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley Rare middle table attr....

Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley Rare middle table attr. to A.-E. Beurdeley France Circa 1880 Boxwood, Griotte marble Height : 75 cm ; Width : 95 cm ; Depth : 55 cm Made exclusively of richly carved boxwood, decorated with a belt finely decorated with laurel branches. Resting on four feet, joined by a strut, decorated in its middle with a vase also in carved boxwood. Griotte red marble top set in the tray. Work in relation : Beurdeley was fond of boxwood for its hardness, thus offering a high quality sculpture, as evidenced by another table presented by this "cabinetmaker-sculptor" at the Paris World's Fair in 1878 (in "Beaux-Arts et Arts décoratifs à l'Exposition Universelle de 1878", p.395). Biography Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley (1847-1919), was in 1875, the collaborator, then the successor of his father, Louis-Auguste Beurdeley, one of the main cabinetmakers of the Second Empire, making essentially furniture of XVIIIth style and designated as the "star" of the exhibitions and the "favorite of the royal and imperial families". If Alfred made the same kind of work as his father, he also distinguished himself not only as an outstanding bronzemaker but also as one of the most famous art collectors. He participated brilliantly in the Universal Exhibition of 1878, where compared to the most famous artists of the time, such as Dasson, Grohé, Sauvresy or Fourdinois, he won the gold medal. Crowned with glory, he even opened a branch in New York. In 1883, following his highly acclaimed participation in the Amsterdam World's Fair, "Alfred Beurdeley, fabricant de bronzes d'art" was named Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur; he was then praised by both the government and contemporary critics. The last major event in which he produced was the Universal and International Exhibition of 1889 where the director did not hesitate to state in his report that "the talent of Mr. Beurdeley imposes itself by the mere inspection of his furniture".