A pair of Chinese famille rose porcelain vases, Qing dynasty, with Napoléon III gilt-bronze mounts, circa 1860, attributed to Édouard Lièvre

After almost a lifetime devoted to the study of objets d'art - examined by visiting the greatest European collections, but also by working with Parisian craftsmen - Edouard Lièvre designed furniture, bronzes, earthenware and even fabrics. He was one of the most talented and prolific designers of the second half of the nineteenth century, with a vast repertoire that he was able to show at the Universal Exhibitions of 1878 and 1889. Convinced that the quest for beauty was not the prerogative of any one civilisation or period, he drew his inspiration from two distinct sources: firstly, the European past, the Renaissance, and secondly, the exoticism of foreign cultures. As a designer and publisher, but above all as an unrivalled observer, Lièvre never ceased to use this rediscovered past and elsewhere to enhance the originality and inventiveness of his luxury furniture.

Lièvre developed a prestigious clientele, including the actress Sarah Bernhardt, to whom he delivered a monumental mirror, the courtesan Louise-Émilie Valtesse de la Bigne, whose bed is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (DO 1981-19), Albert Vieillard, to whom he delivered a Japanese-style double-body piece of furniture now in the Musée d'Orsay (OAO 555), and Édouard Detaille, the famous military artist.