13 - Gustave SERRURIER-BOVY (1858–1910)

Gustave SERRURIER-BOVY (1858–1910) Two side panels of a large wardrobe from the so-called “Corail” bedroom, made of solid oak, tall and narrow in shape, with a straight, molded cornice and side posts extending into the legs. Each opens at the top with a paneled door, adorned with two checkerboard-patterned wood inlays. The first section features an interior layout consisting of shelves and a tie rack attached to the back of the door. The second has a solid door and four drawers on the front. Brass handles, hardware, and hinges (torn label; minor dents and scratches on the oak; the side panels appear to have been added later) H: 185 cm - W: 50 cm - D: 45 cm, each Printed and handwritten label for the “Serrurier-Bovy - Liège, Brussels, Paris, Nice” house numbers, bearing the inscriptions “Design No. 2287” and “Manufacturer’s No. 63.” Keys stamped “SERRURIER & Cie LIÈGE” Model created in 1904 or 1905; these examples were produced or sold after July 18, 1907. History: These two pieces belong to the “Corail” bedroom cabinet model, designed by Serrurier & Cie in 1904 or 1905, whose central body—visible in the period illustration reproduced in the bibliography—is now missing. The configuration of the two pieces, the opposite arrangement of their doors and hinges, as well as their characteristic checkerboard inlays, allow them to be directly linked to this composition After the dissolution of the firm “Serrurier et Cie” on July 18, 1907, Gustave Serrurier continued to market previously created designs under the new name “Serrurier-Bovy.” As the authors of the reference work note, furniture designed during the “Serrurier et Cie” era could thus have been manufactured after 1907 and bear the “Serrurier-Bovy” label. The label affixed to these pieces therefore indicates the period of their manufacture or sale, rather than the date the model was designed, which remains 1904–1905 The keys stamped “SERRURIER & Cie LIÈGE,” on the other hand, retain the company name corresponding to the period when the model was designed Bibliography: Françoise Bigot du Mesnil du Buisson and Étienne du Mesnil du Buisson, “Serrurier-Bovy. A Visionary Designer 1858–1910,” Dijon, Éditions Faton, 2008, p. 63, pl. 72, “Corail” bedroom, designed by Serrurier et Cie in 1904 or 1905; “Style in Furniture. The Interior Architecture of G. Serrurier,” sales catalog, Nice, n.d. [circa 1907], Serrurier-Bovy Center Archives, Liège, same model as the left-hand section of a wardrobe.”