French hardwood vitrine in the style of Viardot

This elegant vitrine cabinet is crafted from hardwood in the Japonisme style popularised by the ébéniste Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906). The cabinet features three sections: the lowest section is comprised of a large, broad shelf, while the section above features a cabinet door to the left and two shelves to the right. The topmost section includes a three-shelf glazed vitrine cabinet, which is offset to the right to counterbalance the left-placed cabinet below. The style throughout is distinctly Eastern in feeling: whether in the shaped aprons, pierced screens, or scrolled shelves. The bottom cabinet door is adorned with a figurative scene, while the entablature above is decorated in a similar manner. The cabinet is surmounted by a sculpted hardwood dragon.

The Japonisme style of furniture was popular in Europe in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, influenced by Japan reopening trade with the West in 1868 and exporting Japanese furniture and decorative arts. Viardot gained a reputation in France for producing and popularising Chinese and Japanese style furniture, much like this display cabinet. His work, although Far Eastern in overall style, was recognisably European in origin, and very sought after by Western clientele.