Objects of Curiosities

Magnificent engraving of Shah Jahan parading on horseback.

Beautiful warm and deep colors, aged carved wood frame.

Dimensions of the glass pane: 50x70cm.

Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Baig Muhammad Khan Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also known as Shah Jahan I, literally 'King of the World', was the fifth Mongol emperor, reigning from 1628 to 1658. Under his reign, the Mongols reached the height of their architectural achievements and cultural glory.

Third son of Jahangir (r. 1605-1627), Shah Jahan participated in military campaigns against the Rajputs of Mewar and the Lodis of the Deccan. After Jahangir's death in October 1627, Shah Jahan defeated his youngest brother Shahryar Mirza and crowned himself emperor in Agra Fort. In addition to Shahryar, Shah Jahan executed most of his rival claimants to the throne. He commissioned many monuments, including the Red Fort, the Shah Jahan Mosque and the Taj Mahal, where his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, is buried. In foreign affairs, Shah Jahan presided over aggressive campaigns against the Deccan sultanates, conflicts with the Portuguese, and wars with the Safavids. He also put down several local rebellions and faced the devastating Deccan famine of 1630–32.

In September 1657, Shah Jahan fell ill and appointed his eldest son Dara Shikoh as his successor. This appointment led to a succession crisis among his three sons, of which Shah Jahan's third son, Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707), emerged victorious and became the sixth emperor, executing all of his surviving brothers, including the Crown Prince Dara Shikoh. After Shah Jahan recovered from his illness in July 1658, Aurangzeb imprisoned his father at Agra Fort from July 1658 until his death in January 1666.[6] He was buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal. His reign is known for putting an end to the liberal policies initiated by Akbar.

During Shah Jahan's era, Islamic revival movements like the Naqshbandi began to shape Mongolian politics.

Large porcelain bookends 35cm high. Figurines of bronze monkeys with palm trees.

 

An unusual decorative object, two malicious bronze monkeys under their palm.

 

Bookends made of black porcelain and bronze palm trees

Magnificent engraving of Aurangzeb parading on horseback.

Beautiful warm and deep colors, aged carved wood frame.

Dimensions of the glass pane: 50x70cm.

Muhi al-Din Muhammad (c. 1618 – March 3, 1707), commonly known as Aurangzeb lit. 'Ornament of the throne' and by his royal name Alamgir I, lit. 'Conqueror of the world', was the sixth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707.

Under his reign, the Mongol empire reached its peak with a territory covering almost the entire Indian subcontinent.

Widely considered the last effective Mongol ruler, Aurangzeb compiled the Fatawa 'Alamgiri and was among the few monarchs to fully establish Sharia law and Islamic economics throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Aurangzeb belonged to the aristocratic Timurid dynasty, held administrative and military positions under his father Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658), and was recognized as an accomplished military commander. Aurangzeb was viceroy of Deccan in 1636-1637 and governor of Gujarat in 1645-1647. He jointly administered the provinces of Multan and Sindh in 1648-1652 and continued his expeditions into neighboring Safavid territories. In September 1657, Shah Jahan appointed his eldest and liberal son Dara Shikoh as his successor, a decision repudiated by Aurangzeb, who proclaimed himself emperor in February 1658. In April 1658, Aurangzeb defeated Shikoh's allied army and the kingdom of Marwar at victory. Aurangzeb's decisive victory at the Battle of Samugarh in May 1658 cemented his sovereignty and his suzerainty was recognized throughout the Empire. After Shah Jahan recovered from his illness in July 1658, Aurangzeb declared him incompetent to rule and imprisoned his father in Agra Fort.

A set of two beautiful reproductions of engravings of magnificent flamboyantly colored parrots whose species have unfortunately disappeared.

Engravings with powder pink marie-louis and very beautiful black wood ornamentation frame.

Glass size: 50x70cm

Bright red Gorgon on brass base

Its color is incredible, but completely natural. We managed to preserve the beauty of this gorgon, even on your console! It comes from Micronesia, Melithaea ochracea-

Red gorgonians (Acabaria biserialis) line the rocky slopes between 20 and 100 meters deep. It is necessary to use a flashlight to appreciate their brilliance, because at this depth, the red appears dark blue.

Attached perpendicular to their support, the colonized polyp branches filter the water with the current to capture the micro-organisms in suspension.

A very beautiful decorative object.

Reissue of a chest of drawers called "Crossbow" from the 17th century, made of Mindi wood.

It has an original and opulent top with a clover pattern in the corners.

It is paneled on the sides, has 3 drawers decorated with locks and beautiful Chinese motif handles, like many at the time.

Very beautiful patina with a gray wood effect.

Very beautiful chest of drawers with its exceptional handmade aged patina.

An extremely elegant chest of drawers.

A limited edition chest of drawers with impeccable craftsmanship. A piece of great beauty.

A pair of magnificent Toucans engravings made from collages of old juxtaposed engravings which are previously hand painted. 

A magnificent artisanal work of remarkable finesse executed in Italy according to an ancestral process. 

Within each frame an atmosphere is created by a juxtaposition of exquisite hand engravings which are engraved and printed on vintage presses from the 1800s.

Each image is printed in black and white, individually hand colored with gouache and in watercolor then cut out. 

Superb and one of a kind.

The Stevenson chest of drawers, reissue of an 18th century English "Chippendale" style chest of drawers, it has an original top with a clover pattern in the corners and has 3 drawers decorated with locks and handles with an acanthus pattern.

This chest of drawers-desk has a sliding shelf on which is engraved the maxim: "Whoever you are, here is your master... He is, was or must be", decorated with an old Tarot card with the effigy of Love referring to it.

Very beautiful chest of drawers with its exceptional handmade aged patina, blue color.

An extremely elegant chest of drawers.

Three drawers with chiseled and sculpted brass handles and locks with acanthus motif.

A limited edition chest of drawers with impeccable craftsmanship. A piece of great beauty.

Patina: wear, wood pitted by worms.

Large reproduction or adaptation of an ancient Greek torso where we recognize Hermes son of Zeus and messenger of the Gods

It is the fragment of a statue from the imperial period, probably created around 350 BC. J.-C.

The bust presented here is a so-called "bronze fragment" version. Very elegant oxidized bronze patina.

Material: composite and marble powder

A very beautiful current craft work for this beautiful object of Art.

For a refined and eternal interior decoration.

Night light lamp representing a Giraffe and friends in the Jungle, 64cm high by 40cm wide.

A wonderful handcrafted decorative lamp, Italy.

A magnificent artisanal work of remarkable finesse.

Giraffe and his friends explore their new home in one of our light boxes full of poetry.

Entirely made by hand in the workshop, these creations can bring comfort to young and old alike on a dark night in the dark!

In each lamp, an atmosphere or landscape is created by a juxtaposition of exquisite hand engravings that are engraved and printed on antique presses from the 1800s. Each image is printed in black and white, cut out and then colored by hand in gouache and watercolor.

The handmade and sculpted frame is made of black patinated tulipwood. The frame is decorated on top with baroque style angel wings, Renaissance period (which can possibly be removed).

A marvel of refinement, pure escape.

This entirely handcrafted lamp which is made exclusively to order.

Reproduction of a fragment of a Hercules statue dating from the early 3rd century, attributed to the sculptor Glycon of Athens. 

Red gorgon on a brass base.

Red gorgonians (Acabaria biserialis) line the rocky slopes between 20 and 100 meters deep. It is necessary to use a flashlight to appreciate their brilliance, because at this depth, the red appears dark blue.

Attached perpendicular to their support, the colonized polyp branches filter the water with the current to capture the micro-organisms in suspension.

Gorgonians, like corals, are animals living in the form of sessile colonial polyps, organized in a tree structure. Each polyp has 8 tentacles which filter the plankton and consume it. The general structure, a skeleton both flexible and hard, called gorgonine do not grow towards the sun (it does not require light to develop) but perpendicular to the current, so as to filter a maximum of water flow.

A very beautiful decorative object.

A set of two beautiful prints of magnificent large blue lotuses.

Engravings with blue marie-louis and very beautiful frame with black wood ornamentation and silver edging.

Glass size: 50x70cm

The lotus is an aquatic plant whose flower is magnificent and which is magnified in these two large engravings in a beautiful blue color. This particular tone of blue has earned it the name of a shade, azure tending to sky blue: caeruleum blue (ceruleum).

The blue lotus is actually a water lily.

Although it bears the name Lotus, the Blue Lotus (in Latin Nymphaea caerulea Savigny) is actually a water lily.

This aquatic plant grows on the edges of lakes and stagnant waters.

Today, it has almost completely disappeared from the Nile region and it is cultivated mainly in Asia (China and Thailand).

The blue lotus belongs to the family Nymphaeaceae (water lily family), group Apocarpiae, subgenus Brachyceras, and forms and subspecies None (cf. Slocum et al. 1996).

Lotuses were the most widely cultivated ritual plants in ancient Egypt. They grew wild and had also been planted in artificial bodies of water (Hugonot 1992).

The blue lotus was considered a sacred plant. The god of immortality and resurrection Nefertum was represented as a young man or a lion whose hair was decorated with a blue lotus flower. He offered the flower to the sun god Ra, to relieve the pain in his old body. The Egyptians especially appreciated their enchanting scent of hyacinth, their symbolism and probably also their intoxicating effects...

Lotus buds and flowers were popular head and hair ornaments. The garlands placed in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses II (1290-1223 B.C.E.) were almost entirely composed of white and blue lotus flowers (Germer 1988). Many buds, petals and garlands have been found as decoration for mummies or as funerary objects.

In ancient Egypt, the blue lotus was closely linked to the concepts of the afterlife and rebirth. The flower represents enlightenment and the awakened consciousness of the deceased; it is “this lotus flower which shines in the earth” (Book of the Dead, chapter 174, line 30; cf. Dassow 1994).

In the myth of the battle between Horus and Seth, the lotus flower appears as a symbol of the divine all-seeing eye: when Seth found Horus resting under a tree in an oasis, he plucked out both his eyes and buried them in the sand. After which they transformed into lotus flowers.

Lotuses are rustic aquatic plants of absolute beauty, vigorous and imposing and can grow anywhere in France!

Superb figurine of a flamboyant red crane made of porcelain and brass, 70cm high and 46cm wide.

A contemporary artisanal work of great beauty.

The bird's legs are made of brass.

A remarkable piece for a refined and unique interior decoration.

A set of two beautiful engravings by the 19th century Japanese artist Kono Baerei.

Engravings with black marie-louise and very beautiful frame in aged black wood and gold edging or with a large pink marie-louise and a thin black bamboo imitation frame.

Glass size: 55x80cm

Engravings representing cranes and beautiful peonies under glass.

Bairei became a student of the Maruyama school painter Nakajima Raishō at the age of eight, and then a student of the Shijō school painter Shiokawa Bunrin at the age of twenty-seven. He continued his education in the Nanga school style under Nakanishi Kōseki and Maeda Chōdō. With Gennyo, abbot of Higashi Hongan-ji, he traveled throughout Kyūshū and central Japan, making numerous drawings.

In 1878, Bairei began preparations for an art school, which opened in 1880 as the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting. He left this school in 1881 and taught his students in his workshop until 1891. In 1893, he became a member of the Arts Committee of the Imperial Household. In 1894, he was commissioned to paint pieces of Higashi Hongan-ji.

Bairei was a prominent figure in Kyoto's artistic circles, where he organized and promoted artistic activities. He played a particularly important role in his educational work. His many students include Takeuchi Seihō, Kikuchi Hōbun, Kawai Gyokudō.

His own work, often characterized by bold brushstrokes, displays traditional charm and sensitivity.

Its flowers, birds (Kachō-ga), and landscapes show a touch of Western realism. Bairei is also known for his spontaneous woodcut sketches.

Anamorphosis Napoleon Bonaparte under Globe

Anamorphosis was born from the work on perspective by Piero della Francesca, a Florentine painter and mathematician of the Quattrocento.

This Art of secret perspective allows, thanks to a “trompe-l’oeil” technique, to create an impression of reality by restoring a 3rd dimension.

We were inspired by this technique to create Anamorphoses-Butterflies: at first glance, the eye is charmed by a colorful and poetic flight of butterflies... then suddenly, the unexpected image springs out and reveals itself to the viewer and doubles it perception appears.

In reality, a master painting serves as a motif for the butterflies, while the butterfly recreates a master painting...

Presented under a glass globe, so that this anamorphosis does not disperse on your walls!