IMAGE DETAILS

Galerie Mathivet

Eugène Vallin (Herbéviller 1856-1922 Nancy)
Art Nouveau sofa, circa 1900
Walnut
H 120cm x W 150 cm
Provenance: private collection
Literature: A. Duncan, The Paris Saloons 1895-1914, vol. 3, Furniture, pp. 553-556 pour des exemples de son mobilier

What better tribute to Victor Horta than to unveil for the first time at BRAFA this extraordinary sofa by his French contemporary
Eugène Vallin (1856-1922), which he made in the early 1900s.
Like Horta, Vallin was both an architect and a cabinetmaker. His work, which is on display at the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de
l'Ecole de Nancy, is characterised by powerful mouldings in plant forms. While the curves of the armrest are reminiscent of Horta's
armchairs, or his staircase railing for the Hotel Solvay, the slender lines of the backrest and the organic base are characteristic of the
style of the Ecole de Nancy cabinetmaker.
Like a tree whose powerful roots cling to the ground, this Art Nouveau sofa rises towards the sky with its cathedral backrest and
stretched arch.