Water-lily desk
Majorelle’s desk on which water lilies in gilt bronze climb up the legs.
Majorelle showed his water-lily furniture at the Paris Exposition of 1900, and the desk was made in only a few examples. It is a masterpiece of the School of Nancy. Examples are in the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’École de Nancy.
Materials: Mahogany and amaranth with marquetry, gilt bronze
Manufacture: Legs and edges cut in soft curves; the bronze mounts cast from Majorelle’s models.
Water-lily leaves and flowers in bronze grow out of the legs and across the drawer fronts.
Plant marquetry in several woods along the edges of the top.