GABRIEL VIARDOT (Paris, 1830-1906).
Cabinet.
Exotic wood and mother-of-pearl.
Measurements: 192 x 110 x 46 cm.
A Chinese-Japanese piece of furniture whose main body opens on different levels, shelves and compartments decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays. Its light, stylised structure features elements frequently found in Gabriel Viardot's ornamental background, such as the rounded dragon on the upper part and the oriental influence of the rest of the piece. It is an architecturally conceived cabinet, raised on typically oriental mixtilinear legs, with a waist decorated with a fretwork border and a ridge designed like a traditional Chinese roof. The latter is notable for its upturned eaves, a type of decoration that appeared during the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) and was the standard type used until the Song dynasty (960 - 1279).
Gabriel Viardot was a cabinetmaker specialising in the production of furniture of the "Sino-Japanese genre". He began his career as a wood sculptor in 1849, when he sent some pieces of naturalistic decorative furniture to the horticultural exhibition. He then became the head of a small team of sculptors when he was only 19 years old. In 1853, he had a factory and a furniture shop located in Rambuteau. At this time, Gabriel Viardot worked with his brother Louis Gustave under the name "Viardot Brothers and Co.". In 1860, he opened his own workshop, "G. Viardot" in Grand-Chantier, a family business which he maintained until 1872. He decided to devote himself to "Sino-Japanese style furniture", which he saw predominantly at the 1867 World's Fair. At the same exhibition, Viardot won four medals. It was for this production that he was awarded a silver medal at the 1878 World's Fair. 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. Of the bronze ornaments he made all the designs by hand. Over the years, his success continued to grow, especially at the Nice exhibitions and the eighth exhibition of the Central Union of Decorative Arts in 1884. In 1885, he took part in the World Exhibition in Antwerp, where he won a gold medal. At this time, the shop employed 90 to 100 workers, sculptors or cabinetmakers. After this exhibition, Viardot was promoted to the rank of Chevalier in the Legion of Honour (29 December 1885). In 1889, he took part in the World Exhibition held in Paris and received a gold medal. He won the same prize at the 1900 World's Fair.