“Les Tomates” high-back armchair, Louis Majorelle (1859-1926), circa 1904

Rare high-back armchair “Les Tomates”
Armchair in ribbed, moulded and carved walnut with plant decoration: ornamented capitals, ribbed armrests, curvilinear brackets and whiplash motifs at the top of the back. An emblematic Art Nouveau piece, illustrating Majorelle’s decorative inventiveness and the importance of organic forms in the Nancy school.

Circa 1904
H. 105 cm · W. 62 cm · D. 80 cm

Literature
A. Duncan, Majorelle, Flammarion, 1991, p. 113.
Les Salons de Paris 1895-1914, Mobilier, vol. III, Antique Collectors’ Club, 1996, p. 394.
A variant was shown at the Paris Salon d’Automne in 1904.

Biographical notes
Louis Majorelle (1859-1926) is one of the major figures of the École de Nancy and of French Art Nouveau. A cabinetmaker and designer, he developed furniture with organic, plant-inspired lines, combining technical virtuosity and sculptural elegance. His collaborations with the Daum workshops and his central role in spreading the Nancy style make him a pillar of early 20th-century decorative design.