Description:
A Fine Pair of French 19th-20th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu Mounted Mahogany and Stained Fruitwood Marquetry Circular End or Side Tables en Chiffoniere, Joseph Emmanuel Zwiener - Jansen Successeur. Each table with a circular top inlaid with a floral spray bouquet, above a conforming similarly-decorated paneled frieze set with a cupboard door, the square legs joined by two scrolling acanthus galleried undertiers, on Greek key feet, several mounts stamped variously 'ZJ' to the reverse. Circa: Paris, 1890-1900.
An almost identical semi-pair of side tables, also by Zwiener Jansen Successur, was sold at Christie's London - 500 Years Decorative Arts Europe, Property from the Collection of Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi - Auction 7961 on 16 March 2011, Lot 12.
Height: 34 1/4 inches (87 cm)
Diameter: 19 3/8 inches (48.3 cm)
Ref.: A2558 - Lot 11344
Joseph Emmanuel Zwiener was Born in Herdon, Germany, in 1849, Zwiener followed the tradition of some of the best ébnistes of the nineteenth century. He moved to Paris establishing a workshop at 12, rue de la Roquette, between 1880 and 1895. He produced a wide array of the very finest furniture, modelling in his own interpretations of the eighteenth century Louis XV Rococo style, veneered with the highest and finest quality marquetry and 'Vernis Martin' panels. Exhibiting at the Exposition Universelle, Paris, in 1889, Zwiener was awarded a gold medal for what the jury reported as 'dè ses dèbuts à une Exposition Universelle, [il] s'est mi au premier rang par la richesse, la hardinesse, et le fini de ses meubles incrustés de bronze et fort habilment marquetés.'
A Group of furniture by Zwiener commissioned by Freidrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and exhibited at the Exposition Universelle, Paris in 1900, was sold at Sotheby's New York June 29th, 1989, lot 270-275.
Zwiener was closely associated with François Linke, and the two houses produced work which, at first glance, is remarkably similar and with occasionally identical mounts. The similarities are made more likely by the fact that the brilliant sculptor, Léon Messagé, worked initially for Zwiener and subsequently, upon Zwiener's departure for Berlin to work on furniture commissioned by Freidrich Wilhelm II , he was employed in the workshop of François Linke. It appears that Zwiener, unlike Linke, did not sign all his work, although some stamped pieces with his name and/or his "Z" initial are documented and "Z.J." for Zwiener Jansen Successeur. There is some uncertainty between the recorded stamp E. Zwiener and the work of a Julius Zwiener, a Berlin cabinetmaker who made furniture in a very similar style, most notably for the above mentioned Freidrich Wilhelm II. Research suggests however, that the German born Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener, based in Paris from 1880-1895 and Julius Zwiener, recorded in Berlin after 1895, are probably one and the same. Since the eighteenth century, it had been a common practice for foreign cabinetmakers to gallicise their names whenever they worked in France. His use of identical mounts as Linke, Zwiener's work is indicative of Léon Messagé influence on both.
Maison Jansen (House of Jansen) was a Paris-based interior design firm founded in 1880 by Dutch-born Jean-Henri Jansen (1854-1929). Jansen is considered the first truly global design firm, serving clients in Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. The Maison was located at 23, rue de l'Annonciation, Paris, and closed in 1989. By 1895, Maison Jansen acquired many of the master models from Zwiener, who had moved back to Germany after a very successful career as an Ébéniste in Paris, changing its name from 'Maison Jansen' to 'Zwiener Jansen Successeur'.
Literature:
Mestdagh, Camille & Lécoules, Peter (2010), L'Ameublement d'Art Français, 1850-1900, Editions de L'Amateur, Paris; pp. 301-309.
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