Atena Gallery :French Antiques and Decorative Arts in Paris

Animals fascinate the romantics; they represent the wildlife, the world of Nature, perfect mix between violence and sensibility. The animal sculptors are simply following a path already opened by the painters, first by the English, then by the Romantics of the 1820s in particular Gericault and Horace Vernet.

The work of Antoine Louis Barye is at the peak of the genre, it brings in its wake many sculptors such as Alfred Barye, his son, Pierre-Jules Mene and his son in law, Auguste Cain, the sculptor of the lions and tigers, which made the representation of these beasts his specialty.

The production of Antoine-Louis Barye is trusted by the public and rose prodigiously. Critics are pleased to recognize in his works the art of drawing portraits of real animals, of seizing their feelings or their ferocity.

In spite of the reluctance of the academic society which considers the animal unworthy of the great art, the critics and the public speak very highly of this production, which clearly influenced the decorative arts.

Antoine-Louis Barye contributes greatly to the creation of silversmith’s pieces in the animal style. Indeed, Fourier, whom he was apprenticed at the age of fourteen, works for goldsmiths; he provides them with matrices to create “repoussé”. In this workshop, Barye is the witness of the realization of gold snuff boxes, commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to the goldsmith Martin Guillaume Biennais for his distinguished guests.

In 1820, Antoine Louis Barye is employed at the goldsmith, Jacques Henri Fauconnier, student of Odiot, who was at the peak of his success while enjoying the patronage of the Duke of Angouleme and the Duchess of Berry. According to his training and his client’s order, Antoine-Louis Barye has created many pieces of silver, such as inkwells, lining fireplaces and chandeliers.

Thus, the pair of gilt bronze candelabra five lights surrounding a stork, we are proposing is similar to the pair of candelabra with three or four sconces topped by a stork or an owl, models created by Antoine Louis Barye.

The animal sculptors following the example of Antoine-Louis Barye also produced many decorative objects. Many artworks appeared at that time, using the animal directory. Stork, turtle, lizards or frogs appear on the base or on the stems of the candelabra. Each of these animal representations reflects, in its way, the romantic impulse that runs throughout Europe in the Nineteen Century.

Bibliography :

- Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Barye : catalogue raisonnée des sculptures, éd. Gallimard, Paris, 2000

- Charles Saunier, Barye, éd. F Rieder & Cie, Paris, 1925

- Collection complète des bronzes d’art de P-J Mène et de A Cain, sujets de chasse – animaux, éd. Susse Frères, Paris, 1907

Pierre Jules Mene

Price: € 3,600 / $ 4,370

View Details

Auguste Cain

Price: € 2,600 / $3,150

View Details

Our services

2010-04-15 10:56:26

DELIVERY

ATENA will organize packing, home delivery and all paperwork related to shipping and customs.

ATENA works with several providers selected for their professionalism, to ensure delivery of the artwork in the best conditions. According to the scenarios we bring the most appropriate provider:
- EDET International or Cadogan Tate, for fragile or bulky items
- Services du Louvre, for deliveries in Paris and France.
- Fedex in other cases.

INSURANCE

All our shipments are covered by our insurance company AXA Art.

Le Louvre des antiquaires

2010-04-14 21:17:54

Place du Palais Royal, accross the Musée du Louvre, the Louvre des Antiquaires represent amongst 10 000 m2, 250 galleries, 30 specialities of works of art from Europe, Asia, Middle-East, from classical antiquities to the 1960's in a 19th century historical building.

1978-2008: The Louvre des Antiquaires today

Completion of the Louvre and Rue de Rivoli was ordered by Napoleon III for the Universal Exhibition of 1855. At his request, the first luxury hotel in Paris, the Hôtel du Louvre, was built on the Palais Royal square to accommodate people visiting the Universal Exhibition. The Neoclassical drawings were made by architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François Léonard Fontaine; brothers Emile and Isaac Pereire took charge of the construction of the Louvre des Antiquaires and became its owners.

When finished, a number of stores surrounded the Hôtel du Louvre on the ground floor in the four streets bordering the building. Five years later, brothers Emile and Isaac Pereire acquired all the stores and established the Grands Magasins du Louvre department store. In 1860, the Grand Hôtel du Louvre, which had 700 rooms, and the Grands Magasins du Louvre were the sole occupants of the immense building owned by the Pereire brothers. If you can imagine, the Grands Magasins du Louvre was like an immense trading post, a veritable beehive of activity throughout the year with its fifty-two departments and special counters.

The luxury and diversity were sufficient to satisfy the most demanding of customers …

Special theme exhibitions were held regularly: they were veritable events in Parisian life. It was said that, one year, for the year-end celebrations two million toys were on show in the hall of the Palais Royal – of course it was a tremendous success.

The Grands Magasins du Louvre, traces of which can still be seen in the form of the stone lions on either side of the main entrance, aroused such enthusiasm that soon the whole building was devoted to the store, with the hotel being moved to the other side of the square.

However, a century later, in 1975, the Grands Magasins du Louvre were in a sad state and a British investor decided to renovate the building. There followed three years of intense work and, on 26 October 1978, the new Louvre des Antiquaires site opened its doors, close to one hundred and thirty years after the building's inauguration by the Pereire brothers. The upper floors are devoted to the Louvre Business Centre – home to prestigious tenants such as the Ministry of Finance until 1990, the United States Embassy and the Banque de France…. But the really new element resides in the commercial concept of the Louvre des Antiquaires.

This group of 250 antiques and jewellery shops offers a wide panorama of specialities, sufficient to satisfy an experienced collector searching for a specific item or an impulse buy by a bargain-hunter. With an atmosphere enhanced by the amassed multitude of objects, giving an impression of profusion and consistency, refusal of specialisation by sector within the building and muted lighting and corridors that accentuate the display windows, spotlighting them like jewels in their cases, the Louvre des Antiquaires stands out as a unique place in Europe.

Every year around 500,000 international visitors pass through the porch of the Louvre des Antiquaires, which is open every day of the week except Mondays and Sundays in July and August, all year round. For many tourists, this site has become an essential part of their trek around the artistic attractions of Paris.

They find rare objects and meet dealers obsessed with art and history who share with them a love of fine objects.

The Louvre des Antiquaires is pursuing its destiny in the 21st century by adapting to the new situation of the art market, at the same time remaining loyal to its mission to help people discover the treasures inherited from History.

Our guarantee

2009-01-09 14:17:07

ATENA Gallery undertakes to:

- Describe and document as accurately as possible all items for sale,
- Provide a certificate of authenticity of each item sold with a bill
- Provide on request a condition report with possible restorations.

Gallery ATENA offers the possibility of a return within one year from date of purchase, at the discretion of the client as a credit for the purchase of another item in the gallery catalogue price (see our conditions of sale).

Gallery ATENA guarantee, in the case of distance selling, the refund of the purchase, excluding charges and round trip transportation costs, within 7 days of delivery, and provided that the item is returned in its original condition (see our conditions of sale).

Gallery ATENA guarantee repayment of the purchase amount, excluding charges and round trip transportation cost in the event of doubt or mistake about the authenticity of the sold item (see our conditions of sale).

Gallery ATENA committed to ensuring total customer satisfaction.

About us

2009-01-09 14:16:44

Atena Gallery was founded in 2001 by Frederic and Nidal Sioufi in the Louvre des Antiquaires, central Paris, close to the Louvre Museum. This couple of antique dealers, in their forties, is partner in life and in the passion of their profession.

They patiently selected each item exhibited at Galerie Atena for its beauty, authenticity and condition. Their quest for the rarity and quality of execution of these objects is always driven by intangible values, away from any speculation and hype. Both share the same passion for the discovery of unseen objects like a new horizon, they do not hesitate to invest in unusual pieces as a new adventure. Their greatest satisfaction is to share this pleasure with their customers and build lasting relationships based on trust and appreciation.

Nidal was born into a family of antique dealers, she knows all the codes and customs of the business as well as the expertise of Decorative objects, with a strong predilection for the Charles X Period. Her decision to study Art History was so evident, as her career had long been chosen.

Frederic took a course at odds with his wife, after studying at the Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Paris he moved to the United States to obtain a Master in Business Administration, then became a trader in the financial markets between Paris and Tokyo. After the excitement, adrenaline and stress, he felt a great need for a change. He decided, after fifteen years, to quit the Finance world, to embrace the world of Art and emotions.

Atena Gallery :French Antiques and Decorative Arts in Paris

Links

Gallery Atena recommends the following websites:

Access Map

Information

A propos

Le Louvre des Antiquaires

Nos services

Notre garantie

Library

Our services

Le Louvre des antiquaires

Our guarantee

About us