Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.13624

Gabriel VIARDOT (attributed to), Clock shaped as a pagoda with a Foo dog bronze, circa 1870-1880

This clock shaped as a pagoda is very likely a work from the hand of the Parisian furniture maker Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906), specialized in the creation of Chinese and Japanese inspired furntiure.

It's during the 1867 World Fair where he discovered the Japanese Art, the Gabriel Viardot decided to devote himself to “Chinese-Japanese style furniture”. It’s with this production that he was awarded a silver medal at the World's Fair of 1878. His furniture was produced thanks to lacquered and carved panels sent directly from China or Japan and decorated with mother of pearl inlays from Tonkin. He enlivened his furniture with bronze decorations, of which he made all the designs by hand. In 1885, he participated in the World Exhibition of Antwerp where he obtained a gold medal. At this time, the shop employed 90 – 100 workers, sculptors or cabinetmakers, a lot of who were educated directly by Gabriel Viardot. Following this exhibition, Gabriel Viardot was promoted to the rank of Knight in the Legion of Honor (December 29 1885). In 1889, he was at the World Exhibition that took place in Paris and awarded a gold medal. He obtained the same award at the World's Fair of 1900.

He creates here a beautiful clock taking the shape of an Japanese architecture with a pagoda roof, on the mount of which a slendid bronze dragon is wound. On the right a very big Foo dog also in bronze seems to be going down the roof and is holding itself on a pedestal adorned with Japanese scrolls next to the clock. The exceptional quality of the bronzes and the specific shape of the big Foo dog that we also find on furniture bearing the signature of the artist (see Ref 11321 for instance), prove the extreme attention given for the realization of this clock by Gabriel Viardot.