An important Charles X maple work table by Alphonse Giroux

Alphonse Giroux

Alphonse Giroux‘s models often take inspiration from the styles of the 18th century, but it is far from repeating past models. These are creations, sometimes imbued with Troubadour style, but which will also be seduced by Japonism in the second half of the century. The furniture and accessories by Alphonse Giroux can thus vary in the inspirations, authentic artistic creations of their authors, but they are always luxurious in their shape and manufactures.

Alphonse Giroux first devoted himself to a career as a painter under Jacques-Louis David.
Still, he abandoned his brushes for a business dealing in paintings and furniture and works of art. He soon became the “merchant of princes“, founding his atelier in 1799 at n° 7, rue du Coq Saint-Honoré, later Boulevard des Capucines to market luxury furniture and accessories, whose products were destined for an aristocratic and bourgeois clientele.
Founded by François-Simon-Alphonse Giroux under the name “A. GIROUX in PARIS“, it was taken over by the Giroux sons and remained in business under the name “Alphonse Giroux et Cie” until 1867, when Ferdinand Duvinage took over.

An extravagant and nice Charles X maple work table by Alphonse Giroux

Working table by Alphonse Giroux, circa 1835 - Louvre Museum, Paris

Alphonse Giroux Louvre's collection

A similar to our work table with the same distinctive shaped top and gilt bronze ‘slipper‘ feet by Alphonse Giroux made is present in the Louvre’s collection in Paris.

An almost identical example, stamped by A. Giroux, formerly in the Castille collection is illustrated, Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Les Ebénistes Parisiens 1795-1870, Paris, 1965, pl. XXXVII.
A drawing illustrative of this interesting form appears in the book of designs published by Pierre de la Mesangère in the Journal des Dames et Modes called Collection de Meubles et Objets de Goût.

Literature

An illustration for a design for a similar work table by Giroux can be found in Nicole de Reyniès, Home Furnishings, Volume 1, Imprimerie Nationale, Paris, 2003, p.366.
An almost identical example, stamped by A. Giroux, formerly in the Castille collection is illustrated, Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Les Ebénistes Parisiens 1795-1870, Paris, 1965, pl. XXXVII.
A drawing illustrative of this interesting form appears in the book of designs published by Pierre de la Mesangère in the Journal des Dames et Modes called Collection de Meubles et Objets de Goût.
In the book “Il Mobile dell’Ottocento“, published by DeAgostini, in 1997, on page 122, there is a similar table. With the following description: Louis Philippe work table in inlaid rosewood, with bizarre arabesque shapes, bearing the stamp of A. Giroux. The supports of this work table are in fake bamboo, the feet in gilded bronze in the shape of an oriental slipper.

References sales and comparisons with our work table

Similar work tables were sold at Sotheby’s New York, The Property from the Collections of Lilly and Edmond J Safra in November 2005. Below are the pictures of the tables and the sales amount for each. One work table is practically identical to ours.