Description
The Altounian-Lorbet study photographs of sculpture and decorative arts document
the works of art sold by or offered to the dealership and reflect the firm's specialization in medieval sculpture and minor
arts, decorative arts of the
sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, and Egyptian and Greek antiquities. The photographs constitute a primary record of works
available on the European
art market before World War II, particularly in the area of monumental sculpture, and include documentation of pre- and post-restoration
states of some
works.
Background
Altounian-Lorbet Antiquaires was a dealership originally established in Paris about 1906 by Joseph Altounian. Altounian was
joined in the business by
his wife, Henriette Lorbet, in 1924, and the shop subsequently relocated to Mâcon. From the early teens through the 1940s,
Altounian-Lorbet was a major
source of Egyptian and Greek antiquities, medieval sculpture, and decorative arts of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries
for museums and private
collectors. Altounian-Lorbet was notable for the high quality and importance of the works it handled. This held especially
true for medieval sculpture,
for which it was one of the main suppliers to French and American collections. Many pieces now in the United States trace
their source to
Altounian-Lorbet, through its close relations with the New York dealer, Joseph Brummer. In 1954, the business was passed on
to their daughter,
Jacqueline Altounian-Lorbet, and her husband, Bernard Rousset, who shifted the firm's emphasis from ancient and medieval art
to period furniture.