Greek Revival Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières

This striking pair of French cobalt blue Old Paris mantle vases feature center medallions with classic Greek profiles framed in a contrasting black backg...

Measures : Tallest caryatid : Height 225 cm (88.6 in.) ; width 65 cm (25.6 in.) ; depth : 40 cm (15,7 in.) Two smaller caryatids : Height 183 cm (72 in.) ; width 55 cm (21.6 in.) ; depth : 21 cm (8,3 in.) An outstanding set of three monumental black marble and bronze caryatid planters in the Greek style attributed to G. Servant. All three are caryatid terms on pedestal: the tallest one is shaped as a Grecian woman with her antique drapery and gilt bronze ornaments, such as belt, necklace, headband and garlands, surmounted by an Ionic capital supporting a large planter adorned with foliage pattern and a vase in patinated and gilt bronze. Two smaller planters complete the set, using the same ornamental patterns: the Grecian head...

A blackened wood planter attributed to Diehl, with silvered bronze ornaments, resting on four feet gathered by a stretcher. The pot is adorned with Bacchus’ masks and other antiques patterns after designs by J. Brandely, and, at its four corners with four silvered bronze felines, which are typical patterns in E. Frémiet’s works. The whole is topped by a rich lid with a palms’ frieze, arrow cartridges with medallions, and a button. Arriving in Paris in about 1840 Charles-Guillaume Diehl (1811-1885) founded his cabinet making and decoration firm at 19 rue Michel-le-Comte in 1885. His workshops produced elegant little pieces of furniture in rosewood and thuja and novelties with bronze and porcelain embellishments (see “Les ébénistes du XIXème siècle”,D. LeDoux-Lebard, Ed. de l’amateur, 1982, p.164). It was his luxury boxes, however (liqueur cellarettes, cigar cabinets, games boxes, cashmere cases, jewelry cases) which assured Diehl’s renown (see “l’Art en France sous le Second Empire”, Exposition Grand-Palais, Paris, 1979, p.133). Already rewarded with a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1855 in Paris, he exhibited a jardinière with china columns and a liqueur cabinet at the Industrial Arts Exhibition in 1861. In collaboration with the designer Jean Brandely (active from 1867 until 1873), Diehl renovated his decorative repertory and created astonishing pieces of furniture in the Grecian style which had a dazzling success at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, where his cabinets also won a silver medal. Certain motifs were so typical of Diehl’s work that they received extensive commentary by the art critic J. Mesnard in his book “Les Merveilles de l’Exposition Universal de 1867” (vol. II, pp. 133 & 149). He writes of a table of which “the pendant bearing hooks and the fan shaped radiating motif which ornaments the entablature are engraved with love (p. 133)” and a jewelry case where “The head in Fine Grecian style makes up the essential part of the Fine gilt bronze ornamentation” (p. 149). For this Universal Exhibition Diehl also formed a partnership with two famous sculptors : Emile Guillemin (1841-1907) who carved the relief for a mahogany sideboard with galvanic gilt bronzes (Orsay Museum, Paris, Inv. O.A.O. 992) and Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910) who executed the low relief for a cedar medal cabinet...