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FURNITURE
Berlin writing cabinet
signed Johan Frantz Miller, 1771
The writing cabinet with two drawers bears an adhesive label with the inscription 'Johann Frantz Miller Anno 1771, May 25 in Berlin' and is therefore a rare example of signed Berlin furniture from the second half of the 18th century.
It can be assumed that the piece of furniture is Miller's masterpiece, as it corresponds very closely to the design drawing executed by master cabinetmaker Hager in 1768, which was required by the Berlin cabinetmakers' guild to obtain the title of master craftsman.
The writing cabinet is one of the few surviving masterpieces. Hager's design drawing and the high perfection of the construction of our piece of furniture, as well as the very high-quality selection of the veneer patterns, speak for a masterpiece.
Walnut, walnut burl, maple, rosewood, fire-gilt brass fittings
Height: 230 cm, width: 132 cm, depth: 72 cm
The writing cabinet with two drawers bears an adhesive label with the inscription 'Johann Frantz Miller Anno 1771, May 25 in Berlin' and is therefore a rare example of signed Berlin furniture from the second half of the 18th century.
It can be assumed that the piece of furniture is Miller's masterpiece, as it corresponds very closely to the design drawing executed by master cabinetmaker Hager in 1768, which was required by the Berlin cabinetmakers' guild to obtain the title of master craftsman.
The writing cabinet is one of the few surviving masterpieces. Hager's design drawing and the high perfection of the construction of our piece of furniture, as well as the very high-quality selection of the veneer patterns, speak for a masterpiece.
Walnut, walnut burl, maple, rosewood, fire-gilt brass fittings
Height: 230 cm, width: 132 cm, depth: 72 cm
Small baroque chest of drawers
Berlin or Potsdam, around 1750
Chest of drawers with three drawers and all-side cambered body veneered on softwood, walnut, burlwood, and maple, with powerful bronze fittings, its original fire gilding, and a curved top.
Height: 81 cm, width: 103 cm, depth: 57 cm;
Chest of drawers with three drawers and all-side cambered body veneered on softwood, walnut, burlwood, and maple, with powerful bronze fittings, its original fire gilding, and a curved top.
Height: 81 cm, width: 103 cm, depth: 57 cm;
Pair of Neuwied Baroque chairs
Abraham Roentgen workshop, Neuwied, around 1745/55
Walnut, solid, veneered, and upholstered.
The chairs correspond in their character to the earliest phase of Abraham Roentgen's work and are oriented to the English style of the Queen Anne period: the slanted legs stand on cudgel-shaped feet with flat carvings on the knee, the wooden nails of the rear legs which are mortised to the frame remain visible, and the backrest with curved backrest board is rolled backwards.
Height: 110 cm, width 53 cm, seat height 48 cm
Cf. Dietrich Fabian, “Roentgenmöbel aus Neuwied”, Bad Neustadt 1986, p. 249 ff., pic. 589 and 596
Walnut, solid, veneered, and upholstered.
The chairs correspond in their character to the earliest phase of Abraham Roentgen's work and are oriented to the English style of the Queen Anne period: the slanted legs stand on cudgel-shaped feet with flat carvings on the knee, the wooden nails of the rear legs which are mortised to the frame remain visible, and the backrest with curved backrest board is rolled backwards.
Height: 110 cm, width 53 cm, seat height 48 cm
Cf. Dietrich Fabian, “Roentgenmöbel aus Neuwied”, Bad Neustadt 1986, p. 249 ff., pic. 589 and 596
Biedermeier secretary
probably Weimar, Thuringia, around 1820
A secretary “à abattant” elaborately decorated with black stain painting, with three large drawers in the base, and a pull-out writing surface. The central storage opening is architecturally structured and there is a porcelain plaque with an antique scene in the tympanum, white on a wedge-wood blue background. The furniture has various secret compartments.
On oak, mahogany cherry, boxwood partially coloured and veneered. Mother-of-pearl key plates and horn knobs.
Height: 196 cm, width: 108 cm, depth 51 cm/101 cm
A secretary “à abattant” elaborately decorated with black stain painting, with three large drawers in the base, and a pull-out writing surface. The central storage opening is architecturally structured and there is a porcelain plaque with an antique scene in the tympanum, white on a wedge-wood blue background. The furniture has various secret compartments.
On oak, mahogany cherry, boxwood partially coloured and veneered. Mother-of-pearl key plates and horn knobs.
Height: 196 cm, width: 108 cm, depth 51 cm/101 cm
Courtly Rococo chest of drawers
Workshop of the Spindler brothers, Potsdam, around 1765
Chest with three drawers with an all-side slightly cambered body, veneered in mahogany, kingwood, maple and rosewood with remnants of the original coloration, and fittings with remnants of the original fire gilding.
The chest of drawers displays numerous features of the Spindler workshop in the Potsdam period: The top panel, front and sides are masterfully veneered with large floral bouquets in curved cartouches held by bow ties. While the shape of the body and the veneer pattern are still Baroque, the fittings already point to the Louis XVI style.
Johann Friedrich Spindler (1726 - approx. 1799) and his younger brother Heinrich Wilhelm (1738-1788) had fulfilled numerous commissions for furniture and room furnishings for the New Palace and the Hermitage until the death of Margravine Wilhelmine of Bayreuth in 1758. After the death of his favourite sister, Frederick II of Prussia summoned the brothers to Potsdam in 1765. There, after the victorious end of the Seven Years' War, they were to work on the interior design and furnishing of the New Palace.
Height 80 cm, width 114 cm, depth 68 cm
Chest with three drawers with an all-side slightly cambered body, veneered in mahogany, kingwood, maple and rosewood with remnants of the original coloration, and fittings with remnants of the original fire gilding.
The chest of drawers displays numerous features of the Spindler workshop in the Potsdam period: The top panel, front and sides are masterfully veneered with large floral bouquets in curved cartouches held by bow ties. While the shape of the body and the veneer pattern are still Baroque, the fittings already point to the Louis XVI style.
Johann Friedrich Spindler (1726 - approx. 1799) and his younger brother Heinrich Wilhelm (1738-1788) had fulfilled numerous commissions for furniture and room furnishings for the New Palace and the Hermitage until the death of Margravine Wilhelmine of Bayreuth in 1758. After the death of his favourite sister, Frederick II of Prussia summoned the brothers to Potsdam in 1765. There, after the victorious end of the Seven Years' War, they were to work on the interior design and furnishing of the New Palace.
Height 80 cm, width 114 cm, depth 68 cm
Large armchair
with its original embroidered panel cover
Régence, Paris, around 1720
Armchair, walnut, richly carved, with its original cover in wool and silk, in gros-point and petit-point embroidery.
Height: 113 cm, width: 70 cm, seat depth: 56 cm
Régence, Paris, around 1720
Armchair, walnut, richly carved, with its original cover in wool and silk, in gros-point and petit-point embroidery.
Height: 113 cm, width: 70 cm, seat depth: 56 cm
Signed French Rococo commode
François Mondon (1694-1770, master around 1730), Paris, around 1750
Chest with two drawers on high legs, stamped MONDON JME, rosewood and kingwood veneer, the maple and boxwood inlays are partly engraved, coloured or fire-shaded, with a marble top from the period.
The delicate body with the accentuated corner racks is extraordinarily richly decorated. The front and sides are adorned with floral cartouches, complemented by high-quality, fire-gilt fittings.
Height: 88 cm, width: 62 cm, depth: 50 cm
Cf.: Pierre Kjellberg, “Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe Siècle. Dictionnaire des Ebenistes et des Menuisiers”, Paris 1989, p 583 f.
Chest with two drawers on high legs, stamped MONDON JME, rosewood and kingwood veneer, the maple and boxwood inlays are partly engraved, coloured or fire-shaded, with a marble top from the period.
The delicate body with the accentuated corner racks is extraordinarily richly decorated. The front and sides are adorned with floral cartouches, complemented by high-quality, fire-gilt fittings.
Height: 88 cm, width: 62 cm, depth: 50 cm
Cf.: Pierre Kjellberg, “Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe Siècle. Dictionnaire des Ebenistes et des Menuisiers”, Paris 1989, p 583 f.
Signed small ladies’ desk “Bonheur-du-Jour”
Pierre Denizot (1715-1782, master since August 1st, 1740), Paris, around 1775
Small salon piece of furniture stamped P・DENIZOT, with marquetry in varying woods, and original bronzes with remnants of old fire gilding.
Elaborately ornamentally marquetry-marked, sophisticated transformable piece of furniture with four drawers and top: the top drawer conceals a hinged and swivel-mounted reading desk, the top with roll-top closure.
This delicate piece of ladies' writing furniture with top and storage compartments was introduced by the Parisian Marchands-Merciers from 1760 under the name Bonheur-du-Jour and became one of the most popular pieces of furniture of the century: light, versatile, versatile, elegant and surprising.
Height: 92 cm, width: 44 cm, depth: 38 cm
Small salon piece of furniture stamped P・DENIZOT, with marquetry in varying woods, and original bronzes with remnants of old fire gilding.
Elaborately ornamentally marquetry-marked, sophisticated transformable piece of furniture with four drawers and top: the top drawer conceals a hinged and swivel-mounted reading desk, the top with roll-top closure.
This delicate piece of ladies' writing furniture with top and storage compartments was introduced by the Parisian Marchands-Merciers from 1760 under the name Bonheur-du-Jour and became one of the most popular pieces of furniture of the century: light, versatile, versatile, elegant and surprising.
Height: 92 cm, width: 44 cm, depth: 38 cm
Important Parisian lacquer commode
Jacques Dubois (1693-1763, master since 1742), Paris, around 1750
Stamped JDUBOIS, Vernis Martin with Chinese depictions, original fire-gilt bronze mounts and its original marble top.
On all three sides of the chest with two drawers with very well-preserved depictions of generous Chinese garden architecture in a hilly landscape with figural staffage, and the black-ground cartouches contrasting with the framing with a golden lattice pattern.
Height: 91 cm, width: 122 cm, depth: 56 cm
Stamped JDUBOIS, Vernis Martin with Chinese depictions, original fire-gilt bronze mounts and its original marble top.
On all three sides of the chest with two drawers with very well-preserved depictions of generous Chinese garden architecture in a hilly landscape with figural staffage, and the black-ground cartouches contrasting with the framing with a golden lattice pattern.
Height: 91 cm, width: 122 cm, depth: 56 cm
Large Louis XV chest of drawers, cambered on all sides
Jacques Philippe Carel, master since 1723, Paris, around 1750
Veneered on oak, royal wood, and rosewood, partly coloured, engraved, and fire-shaded, with its original fire-gilt fittings, and a plate of Breche d'Alep marble.
Works by Carel can be found in the Munich Residence, the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre in Paris, and the Carnavalet museum in Paris
Height: 90 cm, width: 148, depth: 65 cm
Veneered on oak, royal wood, and rosewood, partly coloured, engraved, and fire-shaded, with its original fire-gilt fittings, and a plate of Breche d'Alep marble.
Works by Carel can be found in the Munich Residence, the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre in Paris, and the Carnavalet museum in Paris
Height: 90 cm, width: 148, depth: 65 cm
Classicist working table
David Roentgen, Neuwied 1785-90
Working table in mahogany, solid and veneered, with brass galleries, rosettes, and mouldings.
Oval transforming table with shelf, the central drawer under the top conceals a leather-covered writing surface, which triggers the mechanism of drawers that spring open at the sides when pulled out. The top must be moved backwards to make the work surface usable and the legs must be unscrewed, as with many pieces of furniture from the Roentgen workshop in Neuwied, which were stowed away in the most space-saving and careful way for the enormously long distribution routes throughout Europe and as far as Russia.
An identical table has been preserved in Schloss Fasanerie near Fulda from the estate of the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel: Philippine von Brandenburg-Schwedt (1745-1800), the second wife of Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, owned numerous pieces of furniture and clocks from David Roentgen's workshop.
Height: 76 cm, width: 72 cm, depth: 50 cm
Cf: Exhib. Cat. Schloss Fasanerie 2019, “Die Möbel der Mächtigen. Meisterwerke der Schreinerkunst und ihre Besitzer”
Cf: Wolfram Koeppe, “Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens, New Haven and London” 2012, p. 180
Cf.: Dietrich Fabian, “Roentgenmöbel aus Neuwied, Bad Neustadt” 1986, p. 85, pic. 160
Working table in mahogany, solid and veneered, with brass galleries, rosettes, and mouldings.
Oval transforming table with shelf, the central drawer under the top conceals a leather-covered writing surface, which triggers the mechanism of drawers that spring open at the sides when pulled out. The top must be moved backwards to make the work surface usable and the legs must be unscrewed, as with many pieces of furniture from the Roentgen workshop in Neuwied, which were stowed away in the most space-saving and careful way for the enormously long distribution routes throughout Europe and as far as Russia.
An identical table has been preserved in Schloss Fasanerie near Fulda from the estate of the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel: Philippine von Brandenburg-Schwedt (1745-1800), the second wife of Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, owned numerous pieces of furniture and clocks from David Roentgen's workshop.
Height: 76 cm, width: 72 cm, depth: 50 cm
Cf: Exhib. Cat. Schloss Fasanerie 2019, “Die Möbel der Mächtigen. Meisterwerke der Schreinerkunst und ihre Besitzer”
Cf: Wolfram Koeppe, “Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens, New Haven and London” 2012, p. 180
Cf.: Dietrich Fabian, “Roentgenmöbel aus Neuwied, Bad Neustadt” 1986, p. 85, pic. 160
Franconian Rococo console
Bayreuth, around 1765
Carved softwood painted white and gold on a red bolus and chalk ground, with its original red and white marble top.
Height: 86 cm, width: 61 cm, depth: 44 cm
Cf. Heinrich Kreisel, Hans Kuhn and Georg Himmelheber, “Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels”, 3 vols. Munich 1970, vol. II, p. 217, pic. 704
Carved softwood painted white and gold on a red bolus and chalk ground, with its original red and white marble top.
Height: 86 cm, width: 61 cm, depth: 44 cm
Cf. Heinrich Kreisel, Hans Kuhn and Georg Himmelheber, “Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels”, 3 vols. Munich 1970, vol. II, p. 217, pic. 704
Elegant pair of free-standing etageres
Northern Italy, probably Milan, around 1815
Walnut, solid and veneered, with drawers in the socles.
Height: 150 cm, width: 60 cm, depth: 40 cm
Walnut, solid and veneered, with drawers in the socles.
Height: 150 cm, width: 60 cm, depth: 40 cm
Parisian kidney-shaped salon table with rolling lock
Paris, around 1765, attributed to Germain Landrin (1738-1785)
Artful salon furniture, with amaranth and rosewood veneer, and rich floral inlay, coloured, engraved, and fire-shaded, the rolling lock is hidden behind book covers, and two drop-front drawers are hidden on the sides.
Height: 76 cm, width: 55 cm, depth: 36 cm
Artful salon furniture, with amaranth and rosewood veneer, and rich floral inlay, coloured, engraved, and fire-shaded, the rolling lock is hidden behind book covers, and two drop-front drawers are hidden on the sides.
Height: 76 cm, width: 55 cm, depth: 36 cm
Two large armchairs
with their original tapestry upholstery
Louis XV, Paris, around 1760
Armchairs, beech, richly carved, with their original tapestry upholstery with animal motifs and floral framing in wool and silk from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson.
Height: 100 cm, width: 75 cm, seat depth: 58 cm
Louis XV, Paris, around 1760
Armchairs, beech, richly carved, with their original tapestry upholstery with animal motifs and floral framing in wool and silk from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson.
Height: 100 cm, width: 75 cm, seat depth: 58 cm
Franconian Rococo console table
probably Ansbach, around 1750
Softwood, richly carved, with original gold and silver frame on a red bole and chalk base, as well as its original gray-white marble top (old restoration).
A comparable pair of corner console tables has been preserved in the Ansbach Residence.
Height: 85 cm, width: 78 cm, depth 43 cm
Cf. Christoph Graf von Pfeil, “Die Möbel der Residenz Ansbach” (Catalogues of the Art Collections / Bavarian Administration of State-owned Palaces, Gardens, and Lakes), Munich/London/New York 1999, cat. no. 67
Softwood, richly carved, with original gold and silver frame on a red bole and chalk base, as well as its original gray-white marble top (old restoration).
A comparable pair of corner console tables has been preserved in the Ansbach Residence.
Height: 85 cm, width: 78 cm, depth 43 cm
Cf. Christoph Graf von Pfeil, “Die Möbel der Residenz Ansbach” (Catalogues of the Art Collections / Bavarian Administration of State-owned Palaces, Gardens, and Lakes), Munich/London/New York 1999, cat. no. 67
Bureau plat
Nicolas Petit (1732-1791, master since 1761), Paris, around 1765
Elegant bureau with two drawers and fire-gilt bronzes, old leather writing surface.
Stamped N・PETIT, satiné on oak, strapwork in padouk.
Height: 73.5 cm, width: 110 cm, depth: 57 cm
Elegant bureau with two drawers and fire-gilt bronzes, old leather writing surface.
Stamped N・PETIT, satiné on oak, strapwork in padouk.
Height: 73.5 cm, width: 110 cm, depth: 57 cm
Baroque clock
Martinus Vogt, Olomouc, around 1740
Veneered with walnut, birch, plum, and bog oak, and inlaid on all sides with strapwork. Rope movement with lever escapement on striking mechanism with two bells and date display.
Height: 240 cm, width: 63 cm, depth: 31.5 cm
Veneered with walnut, birch, plum, and bog oak, and inlaid on all sides with strapwork. Rope movement with lever escapement on striking mechanism with two bells and date display.
Height: 240 cm, width: 63 cm, depth: 31.5 cm
Exceptional Louis XV chest of drawers
François Lebesgue, Paris, around 1760
Lavishly veneered in rosewood and mahogany as well as numerous other precious woods, some of which are coloured, fire-shaded and engraved, with splendid fire-gilt bronze applications, decorative bronze edges, and a profiled original brèche d'alep marble top as a cover.
Signed with a marking stamp under the plate. The ornamentation on the front “sans traverse” and the sides of the furniture, artfully inlaid into the fourfold mirrored veneer back, meets the highest standards of a courtly salon piece. The veneer is dominated by large flowering branches with imaginative framing of shells and imbricated ribbons. The fittings with moving curved rocailles complement the inlaid motifs of the representative chest of drawers. From a French aristocratic estate.
Height 86 cm, width 95 cm, depth 53 cm.
Salverte, “Les Ébénistes du XVIIIe siècle”, Paris 1934, p. 180.
Lavishly veneered in rosewood and mahogany as well as numerous other precious woods, some of which are coloured, fire-shaded and engraved, with splendid fire-gilt bronze applications, decorative bronze edges, and a profiled original brèche d'alep marble top as a cover.
Signed with a marking stamp under the plate. The ornamentation on the front “sans traverse” and the sides of the furniture, artfully inlaid into the fourfold mirrored veneer back, meets the highest standards of a courtly salon piece. The veneer is dominated by large flowering branches with imaginative framing of shells and imbricated ribbons. The fittings with moving curved rocailles complement the inlaid motifs of the representative chest of drawers. From a French aristocratic estate.
Height 86 cm, width 95 cm, depth 53 cm.
Salverte, “Les Ébénistes du XVIIIe siècle”, Paris 1934, p. 180.
A pair of classicist encoignures
Johann Kroll, Mainz, around 1790
Solid mahogany and veneered, with gilt brass border, fluting, and rosettes.
Two half-height corner cabinets with strictly structured, closed fronts, the avant-corps-like protruding middle section flanked by fluted pilasters. The drawers can be opened using a hidden push mechanism - a refinement that Kroll learned in David Roentgen's workshop.
Born in Riga, Kroll studied in Neuwied from 1779, soon set up his own business with David Roentgen's approval and received important commissions from the Elector of Mainz as early as 1781, later also for Johannisburg Palace in Aschaffenburg.
Owner's inventory label of Frhrn. v. Thon Dittmer on the reverse.
Height: 92 cm, width: 59 cm, depth: 59 cm
Solid mahogany and veneered, with gilt brass border, fluting, and rosettes.
Two half-height corner cabinets with strictly structured, closed fronts, the avant-corps-like protruding middle section flanked by fluted pilasters. The drawers can be opened using a hidden push mechanism - a refinement that Kroll learned in David Roentgen's workshop.
Born in Riga, Kroll studied in Neuwied from 1779, soon set up his own business with David Roentgen's approval and received important commissions from the Elector of Mainz as early as 1781, later also for Johannisburg Palace in Aschaffenburg.
Owner's inventory label of Frhrn. v. Thon Dittmer on the reverse.
Height: 92 cm, width: 59 cm, depth: 59 cm
Viennese baroque cabinet
around 1740
Walnut, plum, yew, birch vein
The elegantly curved front and the rounded corners are decorated with rich strapwork, thoroughly characteristic of the high-quality furniture art of Austria in the mid-18th century.
The original, gilt key plates are worked in fine Régence-ornamentation, influenced by the Viennese goldsmith's art of their time.
Provenance: Art trade of Josef Bierstorfer, Munich, shown in the catalog of the 14th Munich Art and Antiques Fair, 1969, p. 131.
Literature: Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, part II, Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1983, pp. 226-227, figs. 683-685.
Height: 245 cm, width: approx. 200 cm, depth: 70 cm
Walnut, plum, yew, birch vein
The elegantly curved front and the rounded corners are decorated with rich strapwork, thoroughly characteristic of the high-quality furniture art of Austria in the mid-18th century.
The original, gilt key plates are worked in fine Régence-ornamentation, influenced by the Viennese goldsmith's art of their time.
Provenance: Art trade of Josef Bierstorfer, Munich, shown in the catalog of the 14th Munich Art and Antiques Fair, 1969, p. 131.
Literature: Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, part II, Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1983, pp. 226-227, figs. 683-685.
Height: 245 cm, width: approx. 200 cm, depth: 70 cm
Pair of small corner cabinets
Paris, around 1750
stamped Jacques Dubois (around 1693-1763, master since 1742)
Lacquer furniture was a specialty of the famous cabinetmaker Jacques Dubois. He used lacquers from Japan and China as well as French imitations in the so-called vernis Martin. The red lacquered corner cabinets are veneered with unusual French lacquer panels. Although their black background is reminiscent of Asian models, the realistic scenes with large Turkish figures however are completely European in character. The elegantly gilt bronzes are characteristic of Dubois' work.
Height: 82 cm, leg: 40 cm, depth: 38 cm
stamped Jacques Dubois (around 1693-1763, master since 1742)
Lacquer furniture was a specialty of the famous cabinetmaker Jacques Dubois. He used lacquers from Japan and China as well as French imitations in the so-called vernis Martin. The red lacquered corner cabinets are veneered with unusual French lacquer panels. Although their black background is reminiscent of Asian models, the realistic scenes with large Turkish figures however are completely European in character. The elegantly gilt bronzes are characteristic of Dubois' work.
Height: 82 cm, leg: 40 cm, depth: 38 cm
Console table
France, around 1730-1745
The large, richly carved console table is decorated with detailed engraved rocailles intertwined with olive branches. In the center of the base is a lavish cartouche decorated with flowers and leaves, which echoes the movement of the entire table.
The original marble top and gilding are well preserved.
Height: 85 cm, width: 150 cm, depth: 70 cm
The large, richly carved console table is decorated with detailed engraved rocailles intertwined with olive branches. In the center of the base is a lavish cartouche decorated with flowers and leaves, which echoes the movement of the entire table.
The original marble top and gilding are well preserved.
Height: 85 cm, width: 150 cm, depth: 70 cm
Classicist Bureau plat
Paris around 1780
Attributed to Godefroy Dester (master from 1774-1805)
Godefroy Dester, probably of German origin, produced a series of stamped and unstamped desks of exactly this form and a number of cylindrical bureaux, whose the lower part follows the same model. The elegant, restrained form of the furniture, the very high-quality mahogany veneer and the gilt fittings on all sides are characteristic of the English-influenced Parisian furniture production of the late "Former Regime".
Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris 1998, cf. p. 260, fig. C.
Height : 77 cm, width : 164 cm, depth : 75 cm, drawers on both sides 40 x 60 cm
Attributed to Godefroy Dester (master from 1774-1805)
Godefroy Dester, probably of German origin, produced a series of stamped and unstamped desks of exactly this form and a number of cylindrical bureaux, whose the lower part follows the same model. The elegant, restrained form of the furniture, the very high-quality mahogany veneer and the gilt fittings on all sides are characteristic of the English-influenced Parisian furniture production of the late "Former Regime".
Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris 1998, cf. p. 260, fig. C.
Height : 77 cm, width : 164 cm, depth : 75 cm, drawers on both sides 40 x 60 cm
Courtly chest of drawers
Paris, around 1750
stamped Jean-Charles Saunier (Master since 1743)
The powerfully curved chest of drawers is veneered with lush floral marquetry, which decorates the body with its large flowers on a beautifully grained ground in curved frames.
Both drawers merge “sans travers” in their movement and refined decoration. The strongly backward curved sides conceal the imposing size of this elegant piece.
The Saunier family of artists was one of the best-known furniture makers in the exclusive Parisian furniture scene.
Jean-Charles Saunier worked in his father's workshop in the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and was also frequently commissioned by colleagues. This particularly high-quality chest of drawers could also be a delivery to his colleague Jean-François Oeben, who in turn often delivered to the cabinetmaker Jean-Pierre Latz (1691-1754). Several high-quality chest of drawers by the Saunier family have been preserved in public collections.
Provenance: Old private collection, Geneva; Sotheby's Zurich auction, December 10, 1997, lot 795 (figure on catalog cover); Swiss private collection
Oak, veneered with rosewood, amaranth, satinwood, ebony and rosewood, original fittings in fire-gilt bronze, original top in marble Rouge de France.
Height: 87 cm, width: 147 cm, depth: 61 cm
stamped Jean-Charles Saunier (Master since 1743)
The powerfully curved chest of drawers is veneered with lush floral marquetry, which decorates the body with its large flowers on a beautifully grained ground in curved frames.
Both drawers merge “sans travers” in their movement and refined decoration. The strongly backward curved sides conceal the imposing size of this elegant piece.
The Saunier family of artists was one of the best-known furniture makers in the exclusive Parisian furniture scene.
Jean-Charles Saunier worked in his father's workshop in the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and was also frequently commissioned by colleagues. This particularly high-quality chest of drawers could also be a delivery to his colleague Jean-François Oeben, who in turn often delivered to the cabinetmaker Jean-Pierre Latz (1691-1754). Several high-quality chest of drawers by the Saunier family have been preserved in public collections.
Provenance: Old private collection, Geneva; Sotheby's Zurich auction, December 10, 1997, lot 795 (figure on catalog cover); Swiss private collection
Oak, veneered with rosewood, amaranth, satinwood, ebony and rosewood, original fittings in fire-gilt bronze, original top in marble Rouge de France.
Height: 87 cm, width: 147 cm, depth: 61 cm
Coffee table with scagliola top
Jean-Francois Hache
France, Grenoble, mid-18th century
The small salon table is made of solid cherry and has a gray and white scagliola top with marbled, engraved seal-red ornaments and tendrils.
Since the 17th century, scagliola has been a costly method of producing a more lightweight substitute for marble. It was highly appreciated for columns, fireplace frames, and table tops and could be artfully colored to suit the desired rooms.
The table was originally owned by the Gailand banking family.
Height: 75 cm, width: 75 cm, depth: 64 cm
France, Grenoble, mid-18th century
The small salon table is made of solid cherry and has a gray and white scagliola top with marbled, engraved seal-red ornaments and tendrils.
Since the 17th century, scagliola has been a costly method of producing a more lightweight substitute for marble. It was highly appreciated for columns, fireplace frames, and table tops and could be artfully colored to suit the desired rooms.
The table was originally owned by the Gailand banking family.
Height: 75 cm, width: 75 cm, depth: 64 cm
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