A rare and fine cold painted and enamelled copper mounted fruitwood inlaid sewing table by Charles Guillaume Diehl, Paris circa 1878

the cinqfoil-shaped lid decorated with a large pansy, opening to reveal a cushioned interior in purple silk and fitted with a mirror, above a conforming frieze with foliage, dragonfly and butterfly motifs, raised on three intertwined curved legs mounted with grasshoppers seated on stylized leaves, on triform base centering a spray of pansies and a bumble bee, terminating in rounded corners, each surmounted by a turtle, raised on toupie feet

Similar tables are at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris (inv.nr. OAO 1459), and the Museum für Kunstgewerbe, Frankfurt (inv.nr. 13522/6443a).

Margit Bauer e.a., Europaische Möbel von der Gotik bis zum Jugendstil, Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt 1976, no. 246.
Daniel Alcouffe e.a., Le Arti decorative alle grandi esposizioni universali 1851-1900, Milan 1988.
Odile Nouvel-Kammerer, Le Mobilier français. Napoléon III. Années 1880, Paris 1996.
Philippe Thiébaut e.a., Un ensemble Art Nouveau. La donation Rispal, Paris 2006.

In overall good condition with the inevitable minor dents, marks and scratches due to age and use. Some minor damages and small losses to the veneer, among which one piece of veneer to lower band of the frieze missing (circa 3 by 1.5cm.), as well as a piece of veneer to one of the rounded corners of the triform base (circa 2.5 by 1.5cm.). Minor warping to the veneer of the lid and to the upper band of the frieze. The cover thus not closing firmly. One copper animal originally applied to the frieze missing (metal pen for attachment still in its place). Small losses to the extremities of the grasshoppers, minor losses to paint and enamels, as well as to the turtles. Original ending mounts to the legs missing. The interior with minor wear to the silk. An elegant and attractive piece.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Of German origin, like many 'French' cabinetmakers since the eighteenth century, Charles-Guillaume Diehl (1811-1885) settled in Paris in 1840. He established a large atelier at 39, rue Saint-Sebastien. By 1870 he employed no less than six hundred craftsmen. His trade in cabinet making and fancy goods flourished and Diehl participated in all major international exhibitions during the middle of the nineteenth century, starting with the Great Exhibition in 1851, and frequently being awarded. The list of his deliveries to the Industrial Arts Exhibition in Paris in 1861 gives an idea of his production.
It included 'A Louis XIII drawing room table, with marquetry in natural wood; a console in black wood and plain bronze with its bevelled mirror; a porcelain jardiniere with three columns with three bronze dogs and bronze birds above; an arborvitae jardiniere with three hoofed feet; a pedestal table with two columns and a porcelain plaque; a writing case in arborvitae and bronze (...) A cellarette with marquetry in the Chinese genre with crystal ornaments; a cupboard in rosewood and porcelain; a cupboard in black wood with marble mosaic panels; a table in black wood with mother-of-pearl and coloured copper marquetry.'

The model for the present table was executed for the Exposition Universelle of 1878 in Paris. In fact, it is not a 'sewing' table in the traditional sense as the lid of the casket is fitted with a mirror. Thus more a vanity table, is could have been used for keeping ribbons and jewellery. However, the cushioned interior may also have served as a pin cushion.

Both composition and style of the table herald the Art Nouveau taste. The delicate marquetry shows the typical botanical repertoire whose realism is accentuated by the naturalistically modelled small animals and foliage applied to the table, meant to enhance the illusionist effect.

Distinctly varying from the aesthetic conventions that dominated the decorative arts at the time, Diehl's table is very much avant-garde for 1878. Borrowings from iconographic sources dear to Japonism and the repertoire of floral and foliate motifs which were to become essential characteristics of Art Nouveau make this table a fine example of the aesthetic transition that occurred around 1870-1880.