Emmanuel Zwiener

A Napoleon III gilt-bronze mounted kingwood and tulipwood marquetry bed, by Emmanuel Zwiener, the mounts designed by Léon Messagé, Paris, 1895

The serpentine rectangular gilt-bronze moulded headboard representing dusk, crested by a putto falling asleep on an armorial trophy and foliage, flanked by two nymphs on either side of a gilt-bronze moulded bombé panel inlaid with flowering vines, the similarly shaped offset footboard representing dawn of morning, centrally mounted with a naked female, possibly Aurora (the personification of dawn), raising covers off a bas-relief cast plaque depicting a sunrise over an ocean within an S-scrolled border framed with rockwork and clouds and flanked by hovering putti suspending cloth over a gilt-bronze moulded apron, flanking a bombé panel inlaid with trellis entwined with flowering vines on massive scrolling feet, each shaped gilt-bronze moulded rail centrally mounted with a lion's head over a shell and dolphin mount, signed and dated on the headboard 'Zwiener / Paris 1895'

The backboard: 215cm. high, 215cm. wide; 7 ft. 3/4 in.

The footboard: 112cm. high, 198cm. wide; 3 ft. 8 in., 6 ft. 6 in.

Overall: 244cm. long, 8ft.

Located in London. Please enquire to arrange a viewing.

Commissioned by Charles Tyson Yerkes (1837–1905) for his mansion at 864 Fifth Avenue, New York; sold on the premises, American Art Association, New York, 11-13 April 1910, lot 856;

Captain Joseph R. De Lamar for his mansion at 233 Madison Avenue; sold on the premises, American Art Association, New York, 20-22 November 1919, lot 345;

With Lans & Co, New York;

Property from the Estate of Mrs. J. C. Maxwell, Fort Worth, Texas, sold Christie’s East, New York, 5 November 1992, lot 401.

Where acquired by the grandfather of the present owner.

C. Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'art français: 1850-1900, Paris, 2010, p. 195 fig. 224, illustrated.

C. Payne, Paris Furniture: The Luxury Market of the 19th Century, Paris, 2018, p. 362, illustrated.

For its organic and sculptural qualities, this extraordinary bed is a remarkable example of Emmanuel Zwiener’s work and an ultimate luxury statement of the Belle Époque which it so well represents. A masterpiece of ébénisterie, it demonstrates Zwiener's conceptual genius in combining the traditional Louis XV rococo spirit of the 18th century – through exuberant, bold gilt-bronze mounts and exquisite marquetry - with the more modern, contemporary Art Nouveau style. 

Please enquire for more information.