Art Nouveau table

Ash, sycamore, walnut; 78 x 89.5 x 58.5 cm.
France, 1st half of the 20th century.
In the style of furniture made by Émile Gallé-go with a small decorative top with a wavy outline and a profiled rim, supported by carved, highly stylized dragonfly bodies with wings spread to the sides, held together at the bottom by a shelf similar to the top, inlaid with stained veneers imitating flowers and lily leaves and butterflies placed against a water background, with an inlaid signature on the top "Gallé".
Émile Gallé (1846-1904) - prominent French designer of glass, furniture and jewelry in the Art Nouveau style, founder of the Nancy school (1890-1914). His furniture (made in Nancy from 1886) was characterized by lightness, wavy forms and naturalistic decorations, often arranged on furniture asymmetrically taken from the world of plants and animals, made in sculptural and marquetry forms using exotic wood species. The products he made were very popular. After his death, production continued until 1931 by his godson Prof. Pedrizet, and many imitations were later created throughout Europe. The original furniture that came out of his workshop is characterized by subtle marquetry decoration, but also precise woodcarving, multi-dimensional. The table on display was made based on an authentic author's model, but does not have the same delicacy as the artist's original works.