More fun at the Bastille brocante last week... starting with a display of the most gorgeous Art Nouveau furniture.
A very large hall mirror/planter to grace the entry of one's Parisian apartment. We'd need a much bigger entry! And apartment! But isn't it beautiful?
I completely fell in love with this vanity table, which has such a graceful design for the legs -- I don't know if this was an authentic Guimard piece but it certainly seems "in the style of" or "influenced by". It had some lovely inlay work, and as I looked closely I found a very quirky touch that had been added:
Normally I wouldn't be crazy about having insects painted on my furniture but in this case I would make an exception. And see the inlay work that is so subtle next to the grain of the wood?
This seller had a double-sized stall in the big tent and too many pieces for me to photograph without being noticed (they usually don't like people taking pictures so you have to be discreet). But you could have nearly furnished an entire apartment with the type and range of pieces they had on offer. In particular there were two others I really loved:
This cabinet, which I liked for the inlay work and the warm tones of the wood (it may have been done by Louis Marjorelle; I found a similar piece credited to him on another site)...
... and this glass display case, which would be wonderful to use for collectibles (like hat pins, for instance). That desk to the left is beautiful as well.
Since Paris is where Art Nouveau originated, it only stands to reason it would be the best place to hunt for antiques from that period. This show had several vendors selling Art Nouveau items but mostly they were vases and lamps; this was the largest furniture collection I saw that day.
But Art Nouveau and pieces from one of the "Louis" or "Napoleon" periods were not the only furniture items on display. Several vendors specialized in mid-20th century items, and although not everything from that period is to my taste, I did see two red plush chairs I would have LOVED to take home. They looked both comfortable and stylish.
I have enough photos for at least one more brocante post, and possibly even two. So in the meantime, here's another lovely shot of the Canal Saint Martin looking toward the Bastille monument. You can see the brocante vendor tents on the left; there were even more on the right but they're hidden behind the trees.
More to come!