Alphonse Giroux Traveling Alter Triptych

An exquisite traveling altar triptych by the celebrated Parisian luxury house of Alphonse Giroux. Wrought in openwork bronze with interwoven carving, the triptych opens to reveal a central porcelain painting depicting the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus — an intimate devotional work conceived for the private chapels and grand tours of the 19th-century elite.

DATE: First half of the 19th century, circa 1800–1850.

HISTORY: Alphonse Giroux (1775–1848) established his celebrated Parisian shop in 1799, beginning as a supplier of artist’s materials and fine cabinetry before ascending to the heights of Parisian luxury. The house of Giroux became a purveyor to French royalty and high society — counting Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie among its patrons — and was renowned for objects of exceptional refinement: writing desks, music boxes, lacquered cabinets, and intricate porcelain works incorporating the finest materials including bronze, lacquer, and hand-painted porcelain. The firm evolved into one of Paris’s grandest establishments before closing definitively around 1885.

CONDITION: Signed to the reverse, with original easel stand intact. The piece retains strong structural integrity and visual presence consistent with its age and distinguished provenance.

DESCRIPTION: The central porcelain panel bears a devotional scene directly inspired by Raphael’s Madonna and Child Enthroned, rendered with the delicate brushwork and luminous palette characteristic of the finest 19th-century porcelain painters. It is flanked by two hinged bronze wings of elaborate openwork and interwoven carving, forming a self-contained portable altar — a devotional form long favored by the traveling nobility. The easel stand to the reverse confirms its function as a display object of both spiritual and decorative intent. Brought back from Paris.

Dimensions: 8 inches.