キーワード
BAMBOO ETAGERE MADE OF BAMBOO, ROSEWOOD, LACQUER, PAPER, MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND IVORY..
Origin: Paris.
Late 19th century.
Bamboo, rosewood, lacquer, paper, mother-of-pearl and ivory.
Double-door base with shelf top. On the doors and sides, embossed paper inlaid with
Japonesque motifs such as fans, birds, dragonflies and other insects. The doors each with
inlaid Shibayama panels. Finely inlaid depictions of a fly fisherman and a farmer at
harvest.
229x147x48,5cm.
Signature: Signature on coloured plate in the corner of the left door.
Small plaque on the reverse ""Mon. Conseil H. Bournay Succ., 7 & 8 rue de la Boetie"".
Provenance:
- Benzenhofen Castle near Ravensburg, attested by oral tradition.
- South German private collection
The materials used to make this type of bamboo furniture came almost exclusively from Japan and were crafted according to Western preferences. A comparable etagere, for example, can be found in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. It was made by Jean-Baptiste Kohn, who had settled in London as a manufacturer of umbrellas and furniture.
The etagere presented here however, most likely comes from the manufactory ""La Maison des Bamboo"", which was founded in 1872 by Alfred Perret and Ernest Vibert. They initially specialised in luxury basketry, bamboo furniture and garden elements, but expanded their range over the years to include Indian and Japanese furniture as well. In 1889, they successfully participated in the Paris World's Fair and won two gold medals. They also won first prize for their garden and greenhouse furniture at the garden exhibition in the Tuileries in Paris in May 1894. They enjoyed an extremely good reputation and their exotic furniture met and shaped the taste of the time very much. Not only the Duke of Montmorency, but also the former Empress Eugénie are said to have been among their illustrious customers. Exotic bamboo furniture was very much in vogue in this era. For example, similar furniture can be found in the 'Chambre d'Aurore' in the home of the writer George Sand in Nohant.