This piece was originally housed in Vélez-Blanco Castle (Almería). It was later acquired by Émile Peyre and became part of his collection. Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris.

private collection

Émile Peyre

Paris (France)

Frieze from Vélez-Blanco Castle (Almería)

This piece was originally housed in Vélez-Blanco Castle (Almería). It was later acquired by Émile Peyre and became part of his collection. Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris.

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Description

Émile Peyre (1828–1904) was born in Brussels and trained in the workshop of Georges Monbro, a cabinetmaker and antique dealer originally from Paris. He worked for the Stern and Gunzburg families, carrying out various projects in their residences. However, one of his most notable works was the monumental staircase he designed for Hirsch de Gereuth on Rue de l’Élysée.

Thanks to his trade, Peyre was able to connect with antique dealers and collectors, eventually becoming one himself. He was primarily interested in art from the Middle Ages through the 18th century and turned his residence on Avenue Malakoff into a veritable museum. Peyre had collaborated closely with the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs, lending works for some of its exhibitions (Vaudoyer, 1920). Before his death, Peyre named the Union Centrale as the heir to his estate, and thus, in 1905, these works were added to the museum’s collection (Blanc, 1998).

Bibliography

BLANC, Monique (1998): Les collections du Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Réunion des musées nationaux, París.
VAUDOYER, Jean-Louis (1920): "Le musée de l’Union centrale des arts décoratifs", vol. 37, La Revue de l’art ancien et moderne.