Gabriel Viardot Large Japanese sconce attr. to...

Gabriel Viardot Large Japanese sconce attr. to G. Viardot France Circa 1880 Alder, Gilt bronze Height: 40 cm; Width: 105 cm; Depth: 25 cm Large Japanese-style sconce in the shape of a dragon, made of stained and carved alder, holding in its mouth a branch of ormolu chrysanthemums, whose four flowers shelter the lights. Related work : This sconce can be compared with a mirror by Gabriel Viardot, in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris (Inv. 2002.57.1), where two dragons wrap around a mirror in the shape of a crescent moon. Biography Gabriel Viardot, a woodcarver by trade, made small pieces of furniture, fantasias and objects in carved wood with naturalistic and animal subjects, some of which were highly acclaimed at the Paris World's Fair in 1855. However, the importation of similar works from Switzerland and Germany prompted Viardot to innovate. In 1861, Viardot succeeded his father as director of the Paris workshops on rue Rambuteau, and took an interest in the new artistic movement of the time: Japonisme. Viardot became one of the first companies to specialize in the production of furniture "in the Chinese and Japanese style", adapting furniture and objects exported from China and Japan to European tastes and uses. Viardot adorned his furniture with authentic Japanese lacquered panels, Tonkin mother-of-pearl inlays and superb bronzes, all of which he designed himself, lending a luxurious, exotic look. Celebrated at the salons, Viardot won four medals at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle and a silver medal at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. He was awarded gold medals on several occasions: at the Universal Exhibitions in Antwerp in 1884, and in Paris in 1889 and 1900. His workshops on rue des Archives, where Viardot moved in 1878, employed around 100 cabinetmakers and sculptors by 1885, when he was promoted to the rank of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. L'Escalier de Cristal", a famous Parisian publisher of luxury furniture, asked Viardot for exclusive rights to six cabinet designs, on which it affixed its own stamp.