Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.13767

Gabriel VIARDOT (attributed to), Japanese-Style Display Cabinet and Wardrobe, late 19th century

This dual-purpose piece of furniture, serving both as a display cabinet and a wardrobe, was made by Gabriel Viardot in the late 19^th century.

A talented wood sculptor, Gabriel Viardot opened a furniture workshop and store in Paris in 1853. In the 1870s, he decided to specialize in “Chinese-Japanese style furniture”. He received prestigious awards at the World’s Fairs in 1878, 1889, and 1900 in Paris, as well as a gold medal at the 1884 Antwerp International Exhibition.

The asymmetry of the two sections of this piece, as well as its decoration, place it within Viardot’s Sino-Japanese-style production. Its feet are curved inward, a characteristic often found in Japanese furniture. The crosspieces are adorned with East Asian motifs. The right side of the piece displays particularly Japonist decoration. At the bottom, a menacing dragon seems to slither through the furniture panel - a signature motif in Viardot’s work. At the top, the door is decorated with a beautiful Japanese panel from the Meiji era (1868-1912). It combines an exquisitely detailed Japanese still life with engraved and gilded Japanese characters. This representation is typical of Japanese art from this period. The small sides are carved with vegetal motifs in low relief.

The lock is marked with two stamps. Hilbrunner, a furniture lock maker active in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, was a regular supplier to Viardot.

Gabriel Viardot designed another wardrobe combined with a small presentation cabinet, known through an old drawing. This drawing shows that the tiered tops of the furniture were intended by Viardot to serve as display platforms.