Yves Saint Laurent Pierre Bergé - Christie's

A magnificent pair of vases have, since the early
70s, stood in silent yet potent majesty either side
of the long sofa sited against the west wall of the
grand salon of Saint Laurent’s rue de Babylone
apartment. Ovoid, raised on stepped bases, the
vases are of black lacquered metal with the
distinctive geometric motifs in red and gold that
identify them immediately as the work of Jean
Dunand. These are key elements within a broad
range of works by this artist that feature within the
collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé
and that lend their particular flavour to the
collection’s evocation of the finest achievements of
the French decorative arts of the 1920s.
Jean Dunand rose to prominence for his work in
lacquer, though his first interest was in sculpture.
The practical aspects of his work as a sculptor
involved him in learning the crafts of casting and
working metals and this became a fascination that
took him in a new direction. He became a master
of dinanderie, the painstaking crafts of decorative
metalwork, and in turn he became interested in
lacquer, having first explored the possibilities of
this natural material to protect and enhance the
surfaces of his metal artifacts.
Sculptor, dinandier and lacquer artist, Dunand
excelled in each field. He exhibited annually at the
Salons from 1905 and achieved considerable
commercial and critical success. By 1925 he was
among the most known and respected artistcraftsmen
of his generation, with a substantial
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Jean Dunand
Artist in lacquer
atelier and workforce and an order book of
prestigious commissions. By then he had also
effected introductions into the world of fashion
and counted such luminaries as Mme Agnès,
Jeanne Lanvin and Madeleine Vionnet among his
clients. In the context of the 1925 Exposition
Internationale, Dunand was designated Vice-
President for the Metal section. His contribution as
exhibitor included an important commission to
create four monumental vases for the inner
courtyard of the Pavillon des Métiers d’Art. These
superb vases are two of the original four.
Photographic portrait of Jean Dunand
opposite page: JEAN DUNAND (1877–1942)
A pair of armchairs, circa 1925, red lacquered wood, upholstered in black silk,
30 1 ⁄8 in. (76.5 cm.) high, 23 1 ⁄4 in. (59 cm.) wide, 22 7 ⁄8 in. (58 cm.) deep. Estimate: 3400,000–600,000
– Pauline de Smedt