Important dining room by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (1858-1910)

Lot 274 - Important dining room by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (1858-1910)
Belgian architect and decorator - Liège
Two-piece cabinet
In padouk, opening with two glass doors over a niche, lower part with two doors and a drawer.
4 keys signed Serrurier-Bovy.
Circa 1897
Height 205 cm - Length 152 cm - Depth 60 cm
Sideboard
In padouk with a door and a drawer, a niche with an arched opening,
Gallery on the upper part.
2 keys signed Serrurier-Bovy.
Circa 1897
Height 138 cm - Length 146 cm - Depth 60 cm
Suite of eight neo-gothic chairs
In stained oak, with a wide seat and trapezoid backrest, topped by scrolled carved elements, seat and backrest upholstered in brown skai.
Circa 1897
Height 98 cm - Width 49 cm - Depth 45 cm
Large neo-Gothic dining table
In padouk, with a rectangular top opening in its center to accommodate extensions and resting on eight turned legs, connected by two arched braces.
Circa 1897 2 extensions of 60 cm each and 1 extension of 35 cm
Height 76 cm - Length 155 cm - Width 106 cm
Restoration of use and maintenance
Provenance: Private collection, Belgium
Biography :
Gustave Serrurier-Bovy was a Belgian architect and decorator born in Liege in 1858 and died in Liege in 1910. He is one of the main Belgian representatives of Art Nouveau (among whom we can also mention Paul Hankar, Victor Horta or Henry van de Velde).
After having practised architecture until 1888, in Liege, he turns to the trade of furniture and is interested in the English productions. In 1891, he left for England and became interested in the Arts and Crafts movement. In 1893, he became a furniture maker. In 1894, he presented a working cabinet at the Exposition de la Libre Esthétique in Brussels. It was an immediate success. He militates for simplicity in the decoration of the home and becomes the defender of beauty within the reach of all. For this reason, as early as 1902, he turned away from the overpriced handmade production and turned towards industrial aesthetics.
In 1903, he founded the company "Serrurier et Cie" with a Parisian architect, René Dulong. From 1903 to 1907, the company produced some of its finest work.
Gustave Serrurier-Bovy built his own house, the "Villa l'Aube", located in the private park of Cointe, in Liège (listed as an exceptional heritage site in Wallonia), and refurbished and decorated the Château de la Cheyrelle (Dienne, Cantal), which is listed as a historical monument.
Serrurier-Bovy must be considered as a precursor of the modern movement and design. In 2008, the MAMAC in Liège devoted a major retrospective to him entitled "Serrurier, acteur du futur". A monograph was published on the same date: "Serrurier-Bovy, un créateur précurseur, 1858-1910", éditions Faton, 2008.