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Please note:

If you click on ...read more.... you'll come to the French version.
In order not to overload our site and slow it down too much, we haven't put the English and Russian versions online. However, the English and Russian versions are available free of charge in PDF format on request. Please use our contact form to make your request, indicating the publication(s) you are interested in.

L'armoire Normande

"Dear Armoire" - I just want to repeat these words from Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", referring to the so-called armoire Normande. Of course, such armoires were made exclusively in Normandy, in north-western France. But this type of traditional French furniture, unlike other types of regional furniture, exists not only in Normandy, but throughout France and in other countries. ... Read more....

The symbolism of the thistle

In French arts and crafts, the image of a thistle is one of the oldest and most frequently represented motifs. In Russia, the thistle is simply a prickly herb, but in the European tradition, this unassuming evergreen is endowed with a special significance.... Readmore.....

SHIVA

Our website presents a unique Indian ivory sculpture with a very special plot, full of many details that require special comment.

This is a sculpture called "Shiva Parivar" (lot 4102). Shiva ("bringer of happiness") in the Hindu mythology of ancient India is one of the three supreme gods (along with Vishnu and Brahma) who form a divine triad like the Holy Trinity of Christianity. .... Read more.....

Georges SAND service

Services of this kind (a small liqueur carafe and a few miniature glasses) in France have a very special name - "George Sand service", in honor of the French writer George Sand (pseudonym of Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, Baronne Dudevant), who took a man's pseudonym to show her emancipation (and one of the first to wear men's suits in the 19th century), friend of Alfred de Musset, Franz Liszt, Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Eugène Delacroix, Victor Hugo, and former beloved Chopin .... Read more.....

Le grand dépôt Emile BOURGEOIS

We have several services on the site with special brands. Here, it's the brand of the famous Parisian Emile Bourgeois boutique. The famous French-style Emile Bourgeois store, located at Rue 21, Drouot, Paris, opened in 1862 and, until its closure in 1902, was devoted exclusively to high-end porcelain. .... Read more.....

The banker's mirror

The "banker's mirror" (or, as it's also known, the "magic mirror") became widespread in European noble circles in the 15th century. The creation of convex mirrors was linked to the great interest in optics that emerged in Flanders in the early Renaissance. .... Read more.....

Half-porcelain

In ancient times (since the early 19th century), dishes were made not only from pure porcelain or earthenware, but also from demi-porcelain or fine earthenware, occupying an intermediate position between earthenware and porcelain. .... Read more.....

The Boulle style, the Boulle technique

André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), an outstanding French cabinetmaker and chisel-maker, is the creator of a unique technique: the combination of bronze, brass and marquetry in the service of art and craftsmanship. .... Read more.....

The ring makers

In France, there have long been such objects, small containers of various shapes, designed just to hold jewelry that has been removed for short periods (for storage, there are jewelry boxes or caskets). In the past, these baguiers came in a wide variety of shapes..... Read more.....

Liqueur cellars

By the end of the 18th century, the Cave à liqueurs had become an integral part of French society and travel, enabling notables to spend long periods in carriages. Since then, perhaps no other luxury item has been as popular in France's aristocratic circles as these artfully crafted liqueur cellars..... Read more.....

Oil or moderator lamps (and their restoration)

Dear visitors, a brief explanation of oil lamps and some of the visible features of their inner workings.

As you may have noticed, when these lamps are electrified they are, as a rule, top-fed, and this is not the result of a mistake by the master, but, on the contrary, a clear sign that the lamp, out of respect for its age, has retained all its original "complex inner world" and in particular its main component, the oil reservoir..... Read more.....

Dagobert's armchair (or Curule seat)

The "Fauteuil de Dagobert" is a type of traditional French armchair created from the image and design of the legendary bronze throne of King Dagobert I, who reigned in the 7th century.

For many centuries, the kings of France have sat on this throne in special ceremonies. In the 11th century, the throne, which symbolically passed from one monarch to the next (and, by then, was already quite dilapidated from constant use), was included in the list of treasures of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. .... Read more.....

Restoring the chandeliers

The chandelier! How important this light-bearing object is for every home! This high source of light illuminates our daily lives and transforms them into little domestic feasts. The chandelier, the centerpiece of every home, is like the twinkling gaze of your domestic divinity, the first thing that catches the visitor's eye.
And how sad it is when that gaze is extinguished! How dramatic it is to see the magnificent crystal branches of antique chandeliers fail to stand the test of time, breaking off like dead branches...Read more...

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