Émile Gallé Set of Four Nesting Tables
Regular price
$15,000
These four nesting tables by Émile Gallé exemplify the artist’s poetic sensitivity to nature and his virtuosity in marquetry. Each tabletop presents a distinct inlaid composition of flowers, foliage, and butterflies, delicately rendered in various woods to capture the subtle hues and textures of the natural world. Together, the four scenes symbolize the passage of the seasons: Crocus represents winter with its early bloom pushing through the cold earth; Jonquil Daffodil evokes the renewal of spring; Wisteria cascades gracefully in the warmth of summer; and Primrose reflects the gentle fading light of autumn.
The openwork bases are conceived as stylized lotus blossoms, with three-part stalks that taper elegantly and are joined by a crossbar stretcher for balance and unity. This organic construction embodies Gallé’s belief in the harmony between form and nature, a hallmark of his Art Nouveau aesthetic. Each table is signed with Gallé’s distinctive marquetry signature—an assurance of authenticity and a testament to the artist’s meticulous craftsmanship and philosophical approach to design, in which furniture became both functional and lyrical expression.
Item #: F-21874
Artist: Émile Gallé
Country: France
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 28" height, 23.5" width, 12" depth.
Materials: Walnut, Fruitwood Marquetry
Signed: Gallé
Literature: A similar set of tables is pictured in Gallé Furniture, by Alastair Duncan and Georges de Bartha, Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club, 2012, p. 215, plate 201.
Item #: F-21874
Artist: Émile Gallé
Country: France
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 28" height, 23.5" width, 12" depth.
Materials: Walnut, Fruitwood Marquetry
Signed: Gallé
Literature: A similar set of tables is pictured in Gallé Furniture, by Alastair Duncan and Georges de Bartha, Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club, 2012, p. 215, plate 201.
Gallé moved to open a small woodworkers shop in 1885, where he began experimenting in marquetry designs in furniture of his own. The plants that adorn his pieces are highly varied, and insects were a frequent theme, with many of his pieces containing butterflies, dragonflies, and beetles. Capturing his natural subject matter with scientific accuracy was a notable accomplishment in Gallé’s work, while infusing it with unmatchable beauty is what he is most celebrated for.
Gallé moved to open a small woodworkers shop in 1885, where he began experimenting in marquetry designs in furniture of his own. The plants that adorn his pieces are highly varied, and insects were a frequent theme, with many of his pieces containing butterflies, dragonflies, and beetles. Capturing his natural subject matter with scientific accuracy was a notable accomplishment in Gallé’s work, while infusing it with unmatchable beauty is what he is most celebrated for.
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