Buffet (Primary Title)
Louis Majorelle, French, 1859 - 1926 (Artist)
Louis Majorelle has been called by both his contemporaries and writers of today the greatest French Art Nouveau cabinetmaker. This dining room buffet is from an early phase of Majorelle’s work. The openwork sides at the top are veneered with maple and carved to resemble snails; figures of rabbits and cattails appear in the back marquetry. In all, the marquetry comprises at least eight different woods; the undecorated surfaces are veneered in palisander, a type of Brazilian rosewood. The drawer pulls are cast in the form of duck’s heads holding snakes in their beaks.
Inscribed (door, lower right): L. Majorelle
Sydney and Frances Lewis Art Nouveau Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Curator’s Talk: The Reinstallation of the Mellon Collection
1:14:33The collection of European paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts given by Paul and Rachel Mellon constitute an essential facet of the museum’s identity. Dr. Sylvain Cordier, Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art, discusses the reinstallation of the Mellon Collection.
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