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 From the " Faubourg " to Asia
A "faubourg" is a small town or village built just outside the ancient walls of Paris, they are now part of the inner-city. "Faubourg Saint-Antoine" since the sixteenth century has been the nest of all crafts involved in decoration, furniture and cabinet making. Unfortunately the price of Paris inner-city real estate is driving the artisans out. (Translator´s remark)
Arnaud Rist, cabinetmaker and craftsman specialized in restoring eighteenth century furniture, is holding his ground and has launched into active resistance.
Letting go of his workshop in the "Faubourg", or giving up his work as an artisan was out of the question for Arnaud Rist; so to save his business he converted to "Ming" and added commerce to his activity. As luck would have it... yes Arnaud got lucky the day he came across a book on Classical Ming dynasty furniture at the library. The sheer elegance, the perfect simplicity of the Ming design fell right in with his own aesthetic values; there laid before him was the road to China.
[...] First trip in 1997, first collection discovered much like a treasure in his Parisian workshop. Arnaud chooses each piece with the eye and the passion of the craftsman. Refusing to import massively mediocre furniture, he aims to offer his custom carefully selected nineteenth century antiques along with the occasional sixteen or seventeenth century piece.
To the heavily ornamented and typically "Asian" style furniture Arnaud Rist has opted for the elegant Ming design.
[...] "Modern Style" before the 1930´s the Ming design has the same quality of "exuberant simplicity" found in the "Ecole de Nancy" furniture.
Régine Heurteur
Extract from the "PORTRAIT" of the June 1999
issue of MAISON DECORATION
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Discovering new outlets
COMPTOIR DE LA MAIN D'OR
Trained as a cabinetmaker, Arnaud Rist decided to focus entirely on Chinese furniture; the authentic furniture, made in the 18th and 19th century according to the Ming dynasty design. Wedding cabinets, elm bed heads, cypress cupboards, Ju Mu trays or the very rare calligraphy brush pots made of Huang Huali wood, all these gems and many more are now on display at a street level shop just below his restoration workshop. Arnaud Rist delivers a certificate of authentication detailing its original state and its age - over a hundred years at least!
Laure Verchère -
ELLE DECORATION n°87 - Mai 1999 issue.
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Arnaud Rist : affordable antique furniture
The art of antique hunting in China
A cabinetmaker and restorer for over 20 years, Arnaud Rist discovered the Ming Art by chance in a book. An encounter that by and by would lead him to Shanghai in 1997. Chinese furniture is on the grapevine and containers jammed with the stuff are unloaded all around Europe. But Arnaud Rist has always preferred making his finds in China. In the shadows of the warehouses where the worst and the best are stacked, he spots the elegant 19th century Ming pieces. His knowledge of the woods used stemming from his respect for their origin and their history.
Huang Huali, a tree that has disappeared since mid 18th century, as well as Zitan were reserved for imperial furniture. The latter is no longer allowed for exportation. These hard and precious woods come from the island of Hainan and the Canton area along with others such as Tieli, Hong and Jichi (also called "chicken wing"). To the north, around Peking, the forests consisted in the more common elm and walnut trees, thus the furniture was more rustic. Around Shanghai cabinetmakers used for many many years Ju, Cypress and peach tree wood [...].
Thanks to knowledge of his trade, Arnaud Rist has been able to work hand in hand with Chinese cabinetmakers, actually passing on a few tricks of the trade... The result is clearly effective and the prices quite good [...].
ANTIQUITES by Pauline Simons
Le Figaro Magazine Saturday 29 april 1999 issue.
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