From 1920 to 1928, Rateau created several sets of furniture and decor, some of which became famous. For Fine Arts La Biennale Paris (FAB), from November 22 to 26, 2023, the Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval will recreate the bathroom created especially by Armand-Albert Rateau for Paul Dubonnet and his flamboyant wife Jean Nash.
The furniture he designed specifically for exclusive clients, such as pieces in bronze or carved oak, was produced in limited numbers. His first pieces were intended for the private New York residence of George and Florence Blumenthal, and later for the decoration of their Parisian apartment and their Château de Malbosc, near Grasse. In the early 1920s, he designed the decor of Jeanne Lanvin's private residence and the bathroom of her palace in Madrid for the Duchess of Alba, which he later recreated in Paris for the famous 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts. Sophisticated Parisian clients could then discover the elegant gold lacquer and bronze furniture he had created for the Duchess by visiting the Seligman Gallery on Place Vendôme, which had been launched by Rateau's career. During these pivotal years, fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin also entrusted Rateau with the decoration of her private mansion, where he created a similar flora and fauna decor for a set of sumptuous dark and gold lacquer screens, now on display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (MAD).
These two sets of panels from the Seligman Gallery, now on display at the Anne-Sophie Duval Gallery, were well known through publications. One depicts a pair of pheasant-peacocks facing each other, resting on vines surrounded by heart-shaped leaves and descending ferns. The second series depicts a deer chasing a pair of partridges hidden in a lush forest, illustrated by a variety of plants (poplars, Japanese plums, olive trees, ferns, agapanthus, etc.). After the 1925 exhibition at the Seligman Gallery, only a few panels were preserved in a private collection, where they remained forgotten for nearly 100 years.
The Byzantine bathroom
In 1928, Armand-Albert Rateau created a large Byzantine-inspired marble and mosaic bathroom for Paul Dubonnet, a wealthy businessman and heir to the Dubonnet aperitif company. The bathroom's symmetrical, octagonal plan, covered by a gold-leaf dome (now reconstructed), is reminiscent of late Roman architecture such as the Basilica of Ravenna or the Palatine Chapel of Aachen, built in the XNUMXth century.
Composed of traditional materials such as Hauteville marble, bronze, gilded stucco, mosaics, and mirrors, the bathroom's harmonious palette features shades of coral, gold, and black. The mosaic floor is centered on an eight-pointed star, a reference to the "star of Andalusia," a recurring motif in the architecture of Al-Andalus, symbolizing Ishtar, the goddess of love and war often associated with the star of Venus. This tribute to femininity evokes the flamboyant personality of Jean Gazley-Donaldson, known as Jean Nash, the elegant American wife of Paul Dubonnet.
The dome is supported by eight columns (H. 245 cm) placed at each corner. The painted stucco column bases are carved with serrated lotus leaves and decorated with gold leaf. They are topped with a gilded capital with a neo-Egyptian stylized leaf motif. The mirrored doors on either side are framed by two columns. Visually, the number of columns reinforces the connection between the floor and the dome.
While a monumental mirrored door leads to the main passage, four mirrored doors located in the corners of the bathroom create infinite reflections that multiply the light in this enclosed space. Four mirrored doors with a patinated laurel frieze likely led to hidden toilets or closets. The bronze handles cleverly recall the flora evoked by the faucets for the sink and bathtub.
Very often in Rateau bathrooms, the bathtub is placed in an alcove framed by two columns. The bathtub is carved from a single piece of Hauteville stone and raised by two steps, reminiscent of a Roman tub. Undoubtedly inspired by the porphyry bathtubs in the Borghese collection at the Louvre, this tub with its ring-shaped face takes us back to the ancient world. The sophistication of the details is emphasized by a double horizontal line carved into the stone and rosettes in the shape of two soap dishes.
The basin-shaped sink is also carved from a single block of Hauteville stone, and the bronze taps are flanked by two engraved soap dishes.
Numerous bronze elements highlight this palette of marble tones, such as bronze eagles, bronze birds, butterfly sconces, mirror brackets with daisies and tablet supports with buds.
The Anne-Sophie Duval Gallery
La gallery Anne Sophie Duval is located in an 5th-century mansion at 50 Quai Malaquais in Paris, on the site of the legendary Honoré Champion bookstore. It specializes in decorative arts and those of the XNUMXth century, has been open for XNUMX years, and is the essential address for collectors and decorators.
Anne Sophie Duval, daughter of antique dealer Yvette Barran, developed a passion for 1972th-century decorative arts from an early age and opened her own gallery in XNUMX. The great Art Deco, where the furniture was designed by architects and where refinement is all in simplicity, expressing beauty through simple shapes and volumes ", is what she likes to say. The same year the gallery opened, Anne Sophie Duval presented her image at the Biennale des Antiquités in Paris with an elegant and original stand, entirely designed by designer Karl Lagerfeld. 1972 was also the year of the famous Jacques Doucet sale, where the art world rediscovered the best of avant-garde art from the 1930s.
Since 2008, her daughter Julie Blum has taken over the management of the gallery in an intuitive and inspired manner. In this way, she perpetuates the work of three generations of passionate antique dealers, a rarity in a profession imbued with masculinity… An architect by training and sensitive to contemporary creations, she continues to showcase the cult artists of the time (Chareau, Rateau, Frank) who made the gallery famous while also highlighting more confidential creators. In order to perpetuate the soul of this place, she pursues the spirit of rediscovering the main works of the masters of the decorative arts, without forgetting to highlight the works of the many male and female artists who contributed to the revival of modern forms.
Anne-Sophie Duval Gallery | 5, quai Malaquais 75006 Paris | www.annesophieduval.com | Instagram gallery.annesophieduval | galerie@annesophieduval.com | +33 (0)1 43 54 51 16
Practical information
FINE ARTS LA BIENNALE PARIS
Grand Palais Ephémère – 2, Place Joffre, 75007 Paris
Open to the public from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 November 2023 / Press opening: Tuesday 21 November from 12 p.m. to 14 p.m. / Gala Dinner: Monday 20 November / Opening: Tuesday 21 November from 14 p.m. to 22 p.m. www.fabparis.com
EmaLynnx
Legends: 1/ ARMAND-ALBERT RATEAU (1882-1938) – Byzantine bathroom – Hauteville marble, mosaic, bronze, mirror, stucco and gold leaf – c. 1928 – Dimensions: H. 360 cm x W. 480 cm x D. 400 cm – Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Paul Dubonnet, Neuilly-sur-Seine. 2/ ARMAND-ALBERT RATEAU (1882-1938) Two pairs of decorative lacquered panels Wood, lacquer and gold leaf 1925 Dimensions: H.94.49 x W. 20.47 in. (each) Provenance: Galerie Seligman, Paris Rateau family 3/ Julie Blum took over the management of the Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval in 2008.
