Majorelle Nancy, French Art Nouveau Clematis Pattern Chair Ca 1900, Mahogany.

Louis Majorelle – "Aux Clématites" Chair, Carved Mahogany, Nancy circa 1900 École de Nancy · Art Nouveau · Pierced Carved Back · Museum Quality

A salon chair in solid mahogany, model "Aux Clématites" (Clematis), designed and executed by the workshops of Louis Majorelle in Nancy circa 1900. The oval back with fluted uprights opens in a fan formation onto a pierced panel of exceptional sculptural richness: clematis in full bloom — buds, open flowers, leaves and twining stems — carved in near-full relief, with a botanical precision and technical mastery that characterise the finest output of the Majorelle workshops at the apogée of Art Nouveau. Firmly upholstered seat in antique velour.

The clematis — Clematis — is one of the most recurrent botanical motifs in the repertoire of the École de Nancy, chosen for the natural sinuosity of its climbing stems and the delicacy of its star-shaped flowers. Gallé used it in his glassware; Majorelle translated it into wood sculpture.

Louis Majorelle (Toul, 1859 – Nancy, 1926) was one of the founding vice-presidents of the École de Nancy in 1901. At the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, his designs triumphed and earned him an international clientele. He was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur at the Salon of 1900. Chairs and armchairs of this model are represented in the standard scholarly literature and in the collections of the Musée de l'École de Nancy, the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

• Total height: 95 cm · Seat height: 45 cm
• Material: solid mahogany, pierced carved back
• Upholstery: antique velour
• Motif: clematis — floral decoration carved in near-full relief
• Origin: Louis Majorelle workshops, Nancy, circa 1900
• Literature: Alastair Duncan, Louis Majorelle, Master of Art Nouveau Design, Thames & Hudson, London, 1991
• Condition: very good

Seen in museums — available to you.

Available for viewing by appointment at our Düsseldorf gallery.

Keywords integrated: Louis Majorelle, clematis chair, Art Nouveau Nancy 1900, École de Nancy, carved Art Nouveau chair, French Belle Époque furniture, Légion d'Honneur, Musée d'Orsay, mahogany salon chair