A FINE LATE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH GILT BRONZE, IVORY AND STAINED FRUITWOOD MARQUETRY TABLE / DRESSING MIRROR BY MAISON GIROUX, THE MARQUETRY DESIGNED BY FERDINAND DUVINAGE, PARIS CIRCA 1880 the triptych mirror with leaf and berry outer frame, raised on C scroll feet and surmounted by a ribbon-tied bouquet of flowers centred by an oval cartouche with ivory panel, the doors finely inlaid with fruitwood marquetry of exotic birds perched on foliage on an ivory ground, signed on the ivory 'FD Bte',  the doors opening to reveal the bevelled glass mirror plates within beaded borders, the easel support cast with volute scrolls and signed to the top 'MSON GIROUX PARIS',  40cm high x 33cm closed and 64cm wide when open THIS LOT IS SUBJECT TO CITES The distinctive and highly decorative technique of inlaying fruitwood into ivory employed in the present mirror was developed by the renowned Parisian maker Ferdinand Duvinage, and patented by Duvinage and Harinkouck in 1877. The first works of art using this technique were exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878, although Duvinage had already won a silver medal at the 1867 Exposition. Maison Alphonse Giroux was founded by François-Simon-Alphonse and continued in 1838 by his two sons, Alphonse-Gustave (1810-1886) and André (1801-1879). They specialised in extremely fine quality small furnishings and decorative works of art such as caskets, candlesticks, trays and mirrors, often inspired by a Japanese aesthetic, and were favoured by the French royal family, a testament to the exceptional quality of the works they produced. In 1867 Alphonse Giroux ceded the company to Duvinage and Harinkouck, who continued the firm under the same name until 1885 when it closed. The present mirror can therefore be dated to between 1877 when the technique was patented, to 1885 when the firm closed. Important works of art by Maison Alphonse Giroux can now be found in many of the major museums across the world including the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.