BY MAISON MARNYHAC, PARIS, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Maison Marnyhac, the commercial name for la Société des Marbres et Bronzes Artistiques de Paris, was established under the direction of Charles de Marnyhac in Paris in the mid-19th century, firstly at avenue de l'Opéra then rue de la Paix; it closed in circa 1910. The company also opened a magnificent gallery at 163 to 165 Regent Street in 1875, which according to Le Petit Journal (6 July 1875, p. 4) was frequented by the English aristocracy. They specialised in the creation of objets de luxe, engaging the best designer-decorators including Piat described as 'le premier ornemaniste de ce temps’, and the sculptor, Clésinger. The company exhibited at the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle where they were awarded a first class medal (M.E. Bergerat, Les Chefs-D’Oeuvre d’Art a l’Exposition Universelle 1878, pp. 187-188). In a review of the masterpieces of the Exposition, Maison Marnyhac was compared as equal to the preeminent 'maison de bronzes d’art et d’ameublement', Barbedienne. Their repertoire was extensive incorporating 'tous les styles et toutes les epoques’, Pompeian, Chinese and 'Japonisme’, including two large 'Chinese’ cloisonné vases supported by elephant heads exhibited in 1878. Another table of the same model sold Christie’s, King Street, 30 September 2004, lot 40. The top is the identical image of an exotic bird seated on a branch but reversed, so possibly the pendant pair to this example.