Lot 49: Jules Auguste Habert-Dys ( 1850 - 1928) , An important Art Nouveau table cabinet

1902 macassar ebony, silver coloured metal and enamel, the doors inlaid with panels decorated with peony and olive branches, the sides and back with prunus, the mounts cast in high relief with flowers and sinuous leaves, the boxwood interior mounted wtih further stylised leaves and flowers mount marked, `J. Habert-DYS. 1902.'

measurements 43cm. high by 59cm. wide by 35cm. deep; alternate measurements 17in., 23 1/4 in., 13 3/4 in.

La Société des Artistes Français, 1903

Henri Classens, Habert-Dys, Maitre-Décorateur, Paris, circa 1900.
Alastair Duncan, The Paris Salons, 1895 - 1914, Volume V: Objets D'art & Metalware p. 306 for contemporary photographs of the present lot.

Christie's, London, 16 February 1994, lot 188

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION
Jules Auguste Habert was born into a poor family but his early talent for drawing was recognised and he was apprenticed initially to a firm who specialised in the decoration of churches and chapels. From here he progressed to a large ceramics factory at Blois where the owner was determined to encourage his staff in art and literature.
With the skills he had learnt, Habert moved to Paris in 1874 where he was admitted to Gérôme's studio at the École de Beaux-Arts and hoped to support himself through his studies by making ceramics. The venture failed and he was forced to work again in the ceramics industry.

His exceptional skill as a draughtsman meant that he was able to exhibit two earthenware panels at the Paris Salon des Artistes Français in 1876. His skills were broadened by a period at the Haviland workshop where with Charles Haviland and Felix Braquemonrd he shared a fascination for the newly discovered Japanese art seen at the 1878 Paris International Exhibition.

His medium changed and his audience grew between 1881 and 1887 when he executed 500 drawings for the magazine, L'Art. It was at this time that he began to sign his work `Habert-Dys', (Dys having been his mother's maiden name). Following the magazine's closure, Habert-Dys' designs were widely used by many different companies in France and the United Kingdom. His name can be linked to designs not just for ceramics but also fans, wallpaper, jewellery and glass. It was from the turn of the century that Habert-Dys began executing some of his own designs and it was during this period that the present lot was created. He worked in fine materials including exotic wood, silver, enamel, bronze, ivory, horn, pearls and semi-precious stones. In 1907, Habert-Dys was appointed Professor of Drawing at the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs but still energetic, he began experiments in glass making. His work in glass and lacquer continued until the outbreak of the first World War when his wife's failing health and financial difficulties curtailed his practical work.
Although working in the design world for more than forty years, examples of Habert-Dys' own creations are scarce and rarely appear on the international market. Examples of work by Habert-Dys can be found in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Paris and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis.
For further biographical details see, Victor Arwas, Glass, Art Nouveau to Art Deco, London, 1977, pp. 104 - 106.