Aux Sagittaires table by Louis Majorelle – €70,000 (£58,825) at Quittenbaum.
Many pieces by Majorelle - who is often called the master of Art Nouveau furniture - had floral decorations such as his Nénuphars (water lilies) series, which he presented at the Exposition Universelle of 1900, followed three years later by the Orchidée desk.
On the occasion of the Salon des Industries du Mobilier, held in Paris in 1905, Majorelle added a further floral motif to his repertoire: the flowering plant Sagittaria sagittifolia, known as arrowhead.
A table Aux Sagittaires was the highlight at Quittenbaum (25% buyer’s premium) on May 11 in Munich. While the form of table is known from the Orchid series, the combination with bronze arrowhead decorations, which adorn the legs of 4ft 1in x 2ft 11in (1.24m x 89cm) mahogany and lemonwood table, could previously be found only in contemporary illustrations.
After an exchange of bids between the French trade and a German collector, the latter outpaced his competitors at the upper estimate of €70,000 (£58,825).
