Émile Gallé, Chest Of Drawers "la Berce Des Prés," Unique Art Nouveau Piec

Sole existing copy known to date - Signed GALLÉ.
Exceptional chest of drawers, known as 'Sauteuse,' in ash veneer and carved and stained beech. The suspended body features two drawers on the front, adorned with Marquis in front of a marsh with water lilies and animated by a frog, created in marquetry. The pierced and carved apron reflects the theme of umbellifers. The four corner legs are treated and carved in the arborescent style of cow parsnip stems. The top consists of an overhanging contoured surface. The paneled back is executed in walnut.
Important: Until today, only preparatory drawings of the furniture, some of its details, and the execution stencil of the marquetry design were known, all of which are preserved at the Musée d'Orsay.
Bibliography: "Gallé Furniture" by A. Duncan and G. de Bartha. Antique Collectors' Club Editions, Woodbridge, Suffolk, U.K., 2012, page 330.