Louis Majorelle Mahogany Book or Glass Vitrine, 1900-1908
Wonderfully executed in solid French walnut and French walnut veneer; the Interior is finely crafted in bright oak wood.
The Majorelle bookcase or glass cabinet features three bevelled glass doors revealing three proportionally manufactured drawers with the original, beautifully ornamented handles. The inner department has several height-adjustable compartments.
Majorelle made this model also as an armoire with faceted, mirrored doors. The cabinet comes with just eight (!) screws and is dismountable into all individual parts except for the base.
Documented in “Louis Majorelle. Master of Art Nouveau Design”, Alistair Duncan, fig. 55 — 56; see the mirrored armoire as part of the bedroom suites model No. 253.
Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, usually known as Louis Majorelle (26th of September 1859 in Toul, † 15th of January 1926 in Nancy), was a French artist, cabinetmaker, furniture designer, and ironworker who was one of the leading exponents of the Art Nouveau style. He was born as the son of the cabinetmaker Auguste Majorelle (1825 – 1879) and initially was trained as a painter. He went to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1877, where he studied under Jean-François Millet. After his father’s death in 1879, Louis Majorelle returned to Nancy to manage the family workshop. He was one of the outstanding furniture designers in the Art Nouveau style in his time, and after 1901 formally served as one of the vice-presidents of the École de Nancy. Today we recognize a piece of furniture from Louis Majorelle in the same way as we recognize a piece of furniture from André Charles Boulle, Charles Cressent, both masters in the 18th century, or or later around 1900, such as Majorelle, Francois Linke — today we would say a Superstar of his field. In 1902 Majorelle took part at the Prima Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Decorativa Moderna in Turin. He was appointed a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.
