L'ameublement d'art français

Summary: The objective of this publication is to understand the operation of a woodworking shop in Paris between 1860 and 1900, a period between a very pronounced taste for the 18th century and the emergence of Art Nouveau in 1900. The author, Camille Mestdagh, works for the auction house Bonhams in London. She is a specialist in furniture and 19th century Parisian workshops active during this period. Pierre Lécoules is an antiquarian by profession and passion, and is responsible for the technical part of the book. Their collaboration gives birth to a full study of several houses of renowned production: Dasson, Beurdeley, Sormani, Durand, Zwiener Jansen, Millet, Krieger. For each an analysis is made of signatures, wood used, and special scenery. All these techniques allow data to better know the productions of each. The analysis allows the author to understand the life of the workshop: work organization, structure of the workshop, and description of the clientele.