An exceptional set of mahogany furniture in the Empire style
Published by Galerie Atena on 05.12.18
A set of mahogany and mahogany veneer Empire style furniture decorated with chased and gilded bronzes. It includes a large dining room table, a suite of 12 chairs with gondola backs and an imposing pair of consoles with "return from Egypt" motifs.
The octagonal-top dining table
It has a thick belt, richly decorated with trophies of arms, Medusa masks , laurel wreaths and fantastic animals with swan heads . The top rests on six legs, four of which are fluted and surmounted by eagles with outstretched wings, standing on claw feet. The warlike decoration, the swan and the eagle were widely used during the Empire. The whole is joined by a brace decorated with horns of plenty, flowers and palmettes.
The large tabletop with its abundantly ornate bronze belt, and the base formed by the four eagles, make this a majestic table.
Gondola-back chairs
The 12 gondola chairs are also in mahogany and mahogany veneer. The top entablature and seat belt are decorated with Hermes heads in a lozenge and floral motifs. The carved lozenge represents one of the repetitive elements of the Directoire style, whose ornamental repertoire is highly simplified.
Very elegant, the gondola-shaped backrest was a great success under the Empire: hollowed out into a half-cylinder that wraps around the shoulders, the backrest connects to the waistband with a continuously sloping curve. The 12 seats are upholstered in two-tone matte and glossy beige striped fabric. The legs are saber-shaped.
The console pair
The two consoles each open with two drawers in the waist, decorated with swans and masks in medallions. They rest on two fluted front legs, finished with claw feet and topped with sphinxes supporting composite capitals. Empire style furniture includes many sphinxes in its decorations, especially from the "return from Egypt" period.
The pilaster-shaped back legs frame a panel adorned with a rhombus. The plinth base is highlighted with ormolu foliage. The spacer is in mahogany and the top in sea-green marble.
Created in the second half of the 19th century, this handsome set features the monumental forms and decorative motifs characteristic of the Directoire and Empire styles, which were very popular under Napoleon III. All the elements in this set are in very good condition, with remarkable quality chasing.
