MAURICE CROZET b. 1898 A fine gilt-bronze mounted kingwood and vernis-Martin decorated three fold screen, Paris, early 20th century

painted by and signed Crozet, the front decorated with courting couples attended by musicians and companions, the back with a picturesque landscape with classical urns issuing flowers and flanking a central pavilion

Maurice Crozet was born in Paris in 1898 and studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Geneva. He won a gold medal at the Exposition de France in Athènes in 1928, and a bronze medal at the Paris's Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifsin 1925.

The vernis -Martin technique became popular again in the later years of the 19th century. Patented by Guillaume and Simon-Etienne Martin in 1748, it was developed to imitate Far Eastern, particularly Japanese, lacquerware. The process uses copal and amber varnishes which are layered onto the desired surface.  The varnish is then polished with pumice powder and sealed with oil to create a smooth, glossy finish.  Many 19th century painters added a craquelure to the varnish to imitate the original varnish of the Martin brothers as seen over 100 years earlier.