Galerie Marc Maison
About us
The Marc Maison Gallery, specializing in 19th-century furniture and decorative arts, as well as monumental architectural elements, is internationally renowned for its rare pieces (the Tourny fountain in Bordeaux, currently located in front of the Quebec Parliament, a historic lead fountain from the original gardens of the Palace of Versailles, etc.). The history and richness of the decor (fireplaces, fountains, woodwork, stained glass, trumeaux, garden antiques, etc.) are at the heart of the gallery's expertise. Committed to promoting the profession of antique dealer, Marc Maison founded the Association for the Defense and Promotion of the Saint-Ouen Flea Market and obtained its classification as an Urban and Landscape Architectural Heritage Zone. This distinction, similar to that of Historic Monuments, protects a heritage that is unique in Europe.
Founded: 1988
Specializations
19th-century furniture and decorative objects. World's Fairs from 1851 to 1900
Associations
CNES National Chamber of Experts Specializing in Art and Collectibles, CEFA French Antiques Experts Association
Fairs
Biennale des Antiquaires - Paris, Shanghai Art Fair, Moscow World Fine Art Fair - BRAFA
Products & services
Chimeric dessoir
This imposing walnut carved cupboard sideboard is a tour de force of artistic invention and technical mastery. Close to Tuscan Neo-Renaissance production of the second half of the 19th century, this exceptional piece brilliantly blends Renaissance vocabulary with diabolical iconography. Resting on five feet, the four-sided base develops a moulded plinth and features three tall anthropomorphic supports holding the main body. The back panel is adorned with low-relief rosettes. Two rows of four richly carved drawers are stacked. The second level, slightly recessed, serves as the base for the juxtaposed doors, separated by a female sculpture in a niche. The lateral uprights are also decorated: target motifs, iron handles, chimeras, and female corner figures. This fantastical sideboard is topped with a frieze representing scenes from the Old Testament. An antique-style cornice crowns the ensemble. Two monsters are depicted on the panels: the first in the centre of the rose window, the second in its lower centre. They can be compared to the figure depicted on the capital of the monumental walnut bench created by Giovanni Sammicheli between 1895 and 1897, or to the one adorning the lower edge of Egisto Gajani's frame, sculpted in Florence in 1871. In the centre of the upper part of the dresser, a monstrous head with snakes for moustaches has similar features. The infernal circle of rosettes described by highly individualised faces culminates at the top in a two-faced mouth of hell ready to devour tormented souls. In keeping with the tradition of Gothic sculptors, the artist illustrates the threat of eternal damnation that hangs over all men, regardless of their rank or wealth.
Giuseppe MAGGIOLINI (1738 – 1814) (circle of), pair of Neoclassical commodes with marquetry decoration depicting a “Departure for the hunt” and a “Return from the hunt”
This remarkable pair of commodes is representative of the G. Maggiolini’s production. In a Neo classical style, they are inspired by French works with their sober lines typical of the Louis XVI style, while also offering a sophisticated and delicate marquetry decoration, especially on the facade of the two drawers. For the inlaid decoration of these commodes, the furniture maker chose to represent characters in lemon wood with the hair and clothing styles of the second half of the 18th century, in gallant scenes, framed with triangles and chevrons friezes in cherry wood. Each background is divided in two parts, a floor reproduced as a trompe-l’oeil of cubes made with three different varieties of wood, rose wood, ebony and sycamore colored with tobacco ; and a background wall with large chevrons of plum wood - wood used for the majority of the commodes’ background. We find on each corner square roses. The feet mounts are adorned with a chevrons rose wood veneer and a cube with a rose in lemon wood on a Honduras rose wood background. The tapered feet are also adorned with a beech wood and a horn beam wood marquetry. This inlaid decoration, of which it is important to note the dexterity of the realization and the care given to the details, expresses all the savoir-faire of its producer. We discover on the facade of one of the commodes, a departure for the hunt scene, while on the other it’s the return from the hunt. Furthermore, each commode has a curved decoration under their body with lemon wood marquetry of acanthus leaves and flowers of which the veins have been painted with ink. Gilt bronze medallions with the faces of Roman emperors come to adorn the facade marquetry, the one on the center is also a lock.
Prosper LECOURTIER (after) - "Roaring lions", pair of stone garden statues
This important pair of garden statues represents two roaring lions carved out of stone, made after the famous model by the animal sculptor Prosper Lecourtier. * Shown in movement, the open den which let us imagine a powerful roar, these lions are represented with realism. They rest on bases with winding. Prosper Lecourtier is an animal sculptor born in 1851 in the Meuse region. He was Emmanuel Frémiet's student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and he inherits from his master a strong taste for wildlife. The model of the Roaring Lions is the best known model by Prosper Lecourtier, published in bronze many times. There is also a bronze version of this lion at the Museum of Art and Archeology in Guéret. It is much rarer to see these roaring lions carved out of stone, as it is for our garden statues. The only other known example is a marble version that decorates Parque Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. The great novelty brought by our lions is the design in pairs, symmetrically, which seems to be quite original.