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Émile Gallé French Walnut "Libellules" Two-Tiered Table
$135,000
This two-tiered, three-legged French walnut table with "Libellules," or "Dragonflies," as carved and fruitwood marquetry decoration, by Émile Gallé, is a perfect depiction of French Art Nouveau furniture. Each of the three legs of the table is in the form of an exquisitely rendered dragonfly with extended wings to support the table top which rests upon it. Each tier of the table is decorated with intricate marquetry detailing beautiful, vegetal landscapes.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: YF-19693
Artist: Émile Gallé
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 30" height, 24" diameter
Materials: French walnut, Fruitwood marquetry
Signed: "Gallé"
Literature: Table pictured in Meubles et Ensembles Style 1900, by Édith Mannoni, p. 9; Table also pictured in The Paris Salons Volume III 1895-1914: Furniture, by Alastair Duncan, p. 225; Table also pictured in Gallé Furniture, by Alastair Duncan
Originally exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, this table elicited very strong reactions from critics of the day, with many praising the exaggerated scale of the dragonflies, which serve as the three supports of the table. Only Émile Gallé was imaginative enough to dream up such a piece; only his craftsmen were skilled enough to bring it to fruition.