Duvinage, Ferdinand (French, 1813-1874)

Ferdinand Duvinage was a French furniture designer and decorative artist operating in the third quarter of the 19^th Century.

Duvinage had previously worked with the French maker Alphonse Giroux at the Maison Alphonse Giroux company, which had been founded in 1799. Duvinage took over the company in 1867 and was the sole director by 1870. The company produced a wide range of decorative objects, from furniture and mirrors, to vases, to smaller objets d’art.

During the period under Duvinage, the Maison Alphonse Giroux became well-known for its intricate Japonism designs. This was a period in which Japanese styles of art and techniques were becoming significantly more popular among Europe’s educated elite.

Duvinage’s creations combined Japanese techniques and designs with more traditional elements of French design, such as ormolu mounts. After his death in 1874, Duvinage’s widow – who had taken over the Maison Giroux – patented his signal marquetry technique, which involved the use of mother of pearl and wood inlays inside metal cloisons on an ivory ground.

This patented technique was probably debuted in 1878 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Duvinage had previously won a Silver Medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1867.