Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.15523

Pair of Japenese Vases by Alphonse Giroux and Charles Ficquenet

Signed “ALPH. GIROUX PARIS”, this pair of square base vases features a décor of flowers on a white background. These natural flowers, are made up of soft, pastel colours, the petals of each flower create a delicate gradation of pink, yellow, blue and white. The vase is outlined in bronze, and frames two parts of the vase. It frames the base, with feet featuring dragons' heads, and it frames the top of the vase. From Japanese inspiration, these vases come from the Japanese vogue, which became known in France during the 1860s-1870s, thanks to Japan opening foreign markets under the Meiji era. This vogue style is wonderfully illustrated by the famous “Service Rousseau” the name for the Parisian seller Eugène Rousseau, named so by the painter and engraver Félix Bracquemond.

The Alphonse Giroux house was a famous marquetry and cabinet making store, situated at 7, rue du Coq-Saint-Honoré, in Paris, which expanded from 1799 to the end of the Second Empire. This house was created by François-Simon-Alphonse Giroux, and his two sons Alphonse-Gustave et André took over the business on the 19th May 1838. In his shop, Alphonse Giroux sold objects of curiosity, marquetry, stationary, but also pictures, paintings, and engravings, like an 18th century Marchand-mercier. Louis XVIII and Charles X chose gifts for the young princes in Alphonse-Giroux's shop. It was his son, in particular, who gave a real boost to the family business and made it enter the top ranking of luxury shops. The house was highly influenced by Japonism during the 1860s and 1870s, as can be seen by this pair of vases. In 1885, the Giroux house definitively closed its doors.