Elegant wooden tray table, finely inlaid, signed Emile Gallé (1846-1904), France

Elegant wooden tray table, finely inlaid, signed Emile Gallé (1846-1904), France Dimensions: cm H 83 x W 75 x D 45 In good condition Price between 3,800.00 and 4,800.00 Euro Item accompanied by a certificate of authenticity This refined table is the work of the French cabinetmaker and ceramicist Emile Gallé (1846-1904). Made in the early 20th century, it is made of wood with the top inlaid in different wood species. Thanks to the skillful use of different wood colors, a still life with a composition of flowers and a butterfly is depicted. The cabinetmaker also signs "Gallé" on the top. The oval-shaped top, with a high border and side grips, serves as a tray for serving bottles and glasses, but also for a vase or whatever else you like. The two legs are composed of three wooden elements converging downwards, at the height of a crosspiece that ensures stability. They then bifurcate with two curved feet. The whole is very graceful and harmonious, suitable in any environment, from the living room to a study, or even in a bedroom as a small surface. The table is perfect both next to antique and modern furnishings. Very decorative, it will bring, with its elegant lines and inlays, great charm to your rooms. Émile Gallé (Nancy, May 4, 1846 – 1904) was a French cabinetmaker, glassmaker and decorator, born into a family of crystal merchants. Around the age of eighteen he went to Germany to study mineralogy and botany, where he soon became passionate and specialized in blown glass. At the end of the Franco-Prussian war, Emile decided to go to London for a while. He then traveled to Switzerland and Italy visiting numerous museums. In 1873, Émile Gallé returned to Nancy with the idea of taking over the management of the family business and being able to create artistic works in glass representing forms of nature, both floral and animal. During this period he became the most important representative of the Nancy school and the pioneer of the new art of glass, part of the modern style movement. In 1878, he took over the management of the family business "La Garenne" which he transformed into an artistic glassworks in 1885 he started cabinetmaking. In this discipline, in the name of the master, he is among the great names of the end of the century, those of Hector Guimard (1867-1942) and friends and fellow citizens Louis Majorelle (1859-1926) and Eugène Vallin (1856-1922). Gallé brings marquetry back into vogue and makes it the highest point of his aesthetic expression. Fascinated by the contrasts of wood, he uses more than six hundred rare species. He treats the woods as if they were colors: flat surfaces, doors and plateaus take on the appearance of a painting in which floral inlays with dragonflies, butterflies, swallows, mushrooms, landscapes and the aquatic world stand out. To the naturalistic compositions, he flanks others of Japanese inspiration, in which sometimes the signature is stylized according to Japanese taste.