Louis Süe and André Mare

Perhaps one of the finest and most spectacular examples of the collaboration between ironworker Georges Desvallières and Süe et Mare’s Compagnie des Arts Français, this pair of console tables skillfully combines a variegated marble top with an outstanding, highly sculptural iron base. Above all, the present lot represents a crowning achievement in the Baroque and neoclassical branch of Art Deco decorative arts.

These matching tables are spectacular in scale and stunning examples of Georges Desvallières’ approach to the material, which radically differs from many of his contemporaries like Edgar Brandt and Raymond Subes. Born in Paris, the son of painter Georges Desvallières, his work displays a predilection for classical designs and traditional methods of production. His iron pieces are generally hand-wrought which contribute to the scarcity and high artistic value of his production, which is characterized by interlacing floral motifs, tasseled curtains and charming abstract bouquets. Desvallières rose to prominence in the 1920s while working with the Compagnie des Arts Français, for whom he produced a variety of ironwork objects from fire screens and sconces to tables and railings. Desvallières regularly showed his creations at the Salon d’Automne under his own name and worked on site-specific commissions for public exhibitions, such as the spectacular balcony and balustrade that he created for Süe et Mare’s pavilion at the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels of 1925. One of his most prestigious clients included architect Pierre Patout, the mind behind the Sèvres Pavilion at the Exposition, for whom he created a monumental dining table.

The present lot appears to have been made as the result of a private commission for the Montreux family, who were important clients of Süe et Mare. This provenance can be traced back to a period photograph likely showing the pair in situ in the family dining room. Though extremely rare, similar console table models from the period are known to exist and include variations in the iron decorations and the color of the marble, exhibiting similar expressive qualities and artistry.