Émile Guillemin Furniture
Émile Guillemin was a celebrated 19th-century French sculptor whose Victorian-era masterpieces showed a deep love and appreciation for Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. He worked with the esteemed Barbedienne Foundry to create bronze figurative sculptures of exquisite detail. He also made statuesque bronze floor lamps and glinting silver centerpieces that retain their luster and charm to this day.
Guillemin was born in Paris in 1841. His father was sculptor Auguste Guillemin, who worked for aristocrats producing copies of ancient busts. Guillemin studied under his father and under sculptor Jean-Jules Salmson. He first exhibited his work at the Paris Salon of 1870 with two statues of Roman gladiators and continued showing his work at Paris Salons over the next three decades.
Although Guillemin was a prolific sculptor with a wide-ranging repertoire, he is most known for his Orientalist-style pieces, a term denoting the exoticization of Asian and Middle Eastern art in the West. What made Guillemin's work stand out was the great sensitivity and care he put into depicting his subjects in an accurate manner. From Japanese courtesans to Indian falconers, his subjects don accurate re-creations of the clothing, hairstyles and accouterments of their cultures.
Today, Guillemin's pieces remain in high demand. In 2008, a pair of busts he crafted in 1884, called Femme Kabyle d'Algerie and Janissaire du Sultan Mahmoud II, sold at auction for more than $1 million.
On 1stDibs, find Émile Guillemin sculptures, lighting and tableware.
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Spelter
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Émile Guillemin Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Terracotta
Late 19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Victorian Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
1890s French Other Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
1880s English Victorian Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Terracotta
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Animal Skin, Blown Glass, Wood
19th Century English Baroque Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Gesso
19th Century Italian Classical Roman Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Terracotta
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Wood
20th Century Renaissance Émile Guillemin Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Moorish Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Spelter
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Terracotta
1870s American Folk Art Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Romantic Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
1880s French Belle Époque Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Silver
19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Marble, Spelter
1870s French Japonisme Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Émile Guillemin Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century French Romantic Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Furniture
Bronze