Photography — SG-FR-020
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Stitt Gallery · SG-FR-020 · France 🇫🇷
The Piece
An elegant antique French three-tier étagère of the late 19th century — the classic display stand (or whatnot) of the Napoléon III period — with three serpentine-contoured shelves, each inlaid with a central bouquet in contrasting fruitwoods and framed by rosewood crossbanding and fine stringing.
The étagère was the stage on which the nineteenth-century parlour showed off its treasures. Under the Second Empire, as Haussmann's new apartment blocks filled with a prosperous bourgeoisie, every salon needed somewhere to display porcelain, objets de vertu or a favourite fern — and the three-tier étagère, the whatnot of English interiors, answered. Ebonised pearwood, gilt brass and floral marquetry are the period's signature: dark, polished surfaces lit by bouquets of fruitwood and glints of bronze.
Each tier is wrapped in a beaded gilt-brass rim, with a pierced brass gallery to the upper shelves. Turned, ebonised column supports rise to brass corner finials, and the lower tier stands on slender cabriole legs finished with brass sabots. Highly versatile: a side table, plant stand or display shelf for objects and porcelain.
The piece is unstamped and is catalogued by style — French, Napoléon III taste, circa 1880–1900. The marquetry is well preserved with an honest, age-appropriate patina throughout.
Specifications
| Style | Napoléon III — Three-Tier Étagère |
| Period | c.1880–1900, France |
| Height | 76 cm 81 cm incl. corner finials |
| Width | 39 cm |
| Depth | 30 cm |
| Tiers | Three serpentine shelves Floral bouquet marquetry · Rosewood crossbanding |
| Mounts | Gilt-brass galleries & rims Brass finials · Sabot feet |
| Structure | Ebonised turned uprights Cabriole legs |
| Marks | None Attribution by style |
Photography — SG-FR-020
Construction & Detail
Marquetry is pictures made of wood — veneers of contrasting species cut and assembled like a jigsaw, then laid as a single sheet. Each of the three tiers carries a central floral bouquet in fruitwoods — pear, apple and maple against a darker ground — framed by quartered rosewood crossbanding and fine boxwood stringing. Such floral panels were a Second Empire favourite and are often found lifted or patched; here the inlay is well preserved, with no lifting or losses.
Every shelf is wrapped in a beaded gilt-brass rim — part decoration, part armour for the veneer edge — the upper tiers rising into pierced galleries that keep displayed objects from sliding off. Turned brass finials crown the four corner posts, and the cabriole legs terminate in brass sabots guarding the feet. All mounts are present and undisturbed, with a warm, unrestored patina.
Ebonised pearwood — the French poirier noirci — is the signature timber of the Napoléon III era, stained to suggest costly ebony. Turned column supports connect the three shelves, and the lower tier stands on slender cabriole legs. Stable and level, with honest age-appropriate wear consistent with use as a display and occasional table.
Market Position
Specialist Retail
€1,100–1,500
≈ 4,730–6,450 PLNEuropean dealer level (Pamono €1,150 · 1stDibs US$1,610–1,975)
Fair Market
€650–850
≈ 2,800–3,660 PLNVerified comparable sales (Vinterior £683 · Chez Pluie, French dealers)
Insurance Value
€2,000
≈ 8,600 PLNReplacement cost
Auction floor if consigned: €250–500 — comparable Napoléon III étagères typically carry provincial estimates of €200–500. Piece is unstamped — attribution by style, Napoléon III taste, c.1880–1900. Shipping & handling quoted separately by destination.
This piece forms part of our collection of European and Asian antiques available at Stitt Gallery, Poznań.
€1,120
International price. Shipping & handling not included — quoted separately by destination.
This piece is available for private sale. We welcome enquiries from collectors, interior specialists and institutions. Viewing by appointment in Poznań. Shipping & handling arranged worldwide, quoted separately per destination.
Gallery reference: SG-FR-020 · stittgallery.com
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