THE MOUNTS DESIGNED BY EMMANUEL FREMIET, THE CASE BY CHARLES-GUILLAUME DIEHL, PARIS, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Of fantastical form and inventive decoration, this coffre de cigares evokes the unique neo-gothic style of late 19th century France as interpreted by one of the era’s most accomplished ébénistes in partnership with the lauded animalier sculptor, Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910). Centered with a skulking, grotesque creature with spread wings, Diehl draws heavily on medieval architecture, manuscripts and sculpture to create works of art in a 'neo-gothic’ style. These unusual objects combined the maker’s romanticized visions of the middle ages with the practicality and technology of contemporary France. While the neo-gothic style saw the construction of grand public buildings such as the Basilique St. Clotilde in Paris which was begun in 1846, it also manifested itself at the Great Exhibitions of the mid-19th century and in the creation of more intimate interiors and works such as present cabinet.  Examples of Diehl’s eccentric design formed the core of his stand at the 1867 Paris Exposition universelle, the most ambitious of which was a related, albeit exuberant, silvered-bronze-mounted marquetry-inlaid medal cabinet with central bas-relief by Emmanuel Frémiet and described as ‘Merovingian in style’ (purchased by the Louvre in 1973 and now on display in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris).  The similar sculptural mounts of the present coffre, attributed to Frémiet, are characteristic of the artist’s unconventional oeuvre, which witnessed the creation of imaginary creatures and rampant beasts.  Frémiet reached peak eccentricity with the commission of gas lighting fixtures and sculptures for the Hotel Dervillé at 35-37 rue Fortuny, Paris.  For its impressive and eccentric interior, Frémiet created monumental ‘neo-gothic’ chandelier crawling with bêtes rampantes (sold Christie’s, New York, 18 November 2014, lot 180).