Ateliers Philippe Coudray

A DREAM IS BORN

Decorex has been an opportunity for Philippe to give his tribute to his first love, upholstery. It was like an urge to create a piece that shows the collaboration, the synergy of passionate artisans, he gathered. And that’s how the story began…

Empress Eugénie (1826-1920)
Large painted wood armchair with scrolled back, the armrests with sphinx figures resting on a belt decorated with foliage scrolls and flowers and saber feet terminated at the front by sabots, with an engraved metal plate inscribed: «Ce fauteuil se trouvait dans le boudoir de l’impératrice Eugénie à bord du yacht impérial «Aigle».

Donné par M.Paolo Burdese ministre plénipotentiaire à Marcel Piccioni». From the Second Empire period (worn and missing, probably originally partially gilded). Paolo Burdese, said to have acquired it at the sale of the Imperial yacht’s furniture, then donated it. Marcel Piccioni and descendants Launched in 1859 the boat “l’Aigle”, which made several trips to the Mediterranean and was used by Empress Eugenie to inaugurate the Suez Canal in 1869.

As supplier to the Emperor, the yacht’s furnishings were designed by Alexandre Georges Fourdinois (1799-1871), the only known example of which is a set of furniture in lemon and amaranth fillet from the Emperor’s cabin (Musée du Château de Compiègne).
The plaque affixed to this seat refers to a gift from Paolo Burdese, Italian consul in Toulon, to Marcel Piccioni (1891-1980), diplomat and embassy attaché in Rome from 1934 to 1938.

Once upon a time, three masters artisans dreamt about a collaboration to unite their skills.

In the same time, there was an auction where the incredible Emperess Eugenie’s chair was sold lost among others but Philippe Coudray rescued it from the oblivion.

That chair was a gift to the emperess for her boudoir in the Aigle, the boat which inaugurated the Suez Canal in 1863.

As a serendipity, there was the exhibition « Louvre Couture » held in Paris about the link between creations and their historical inspirations in art ; among which, the mi-century armor and Balenciaga 3D armor dress was the most striking.

Over a brainstorming came the idea of what would order the Emperess Eugenie today to master artisans for her Aigle boudoir ?

As an answer to this question, was born the idea of the flying swinging confident in the continuity with Napoleon III style. It is a piece where past and present meet above the waves.