Lot Essay
The eclectic nature of this design, which combines the sobre restraint of the late Louis XVI period with the revival of the Chippendale Gothic style, is typical of the 1880s.
Based on the design, this gueridon is attributed to Leon-Guillaume Meynard (b. 1838), the grandson of the celebrated ebeniste Guillaume Meynard, and the son of Guillaume-Mathieu Meyard. All three generations of the Meynard firm were located at 52, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine.
The original Meynard developed a very prosperous business which as of 1837 was known as Meynard Pere et Fils Aine. By 1848 the firm was solely under the supervision of Guillaume-Mathieu, and in 1866 the name was changed to Meynard Fils Aine. From 1834, the firm regulary won medals in various expositions, notably winning first place in 1855 at the Exposition Universelle, when Napoleon III acquired a walnut and ebony bibliotheque-etagere. Other imperial acquisitions at this time include a dressing table for the Garde-meuble imperial at Rambouillet and three armoires for Saint-Cloud.
Based on the design, this gueridon is attributed to Leon-Guillaume Meynard (b. 1838), the grandson of the celebrated ebeniste Guillaume Meynard, and the son of Guillaume-Mathieu Meyard. All three generations of the Meynard firm were located at 52, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine.
The original Meynard developed a very prosperous business which as of 1837 was known as Meynard Pere et Fils Aine. By 1848 the firm was solely under the supervision of Guillaume-Mathieu, and in 1866 the name was changed to Meynard Fils Aine. From 1834, the firm regulary won medals in various expositions, notably winning first place in 1855 at the Exposition Universelle, when Napoleon III acquired a walnut and ebony bibliotheque-etagere. Other imperial acquisitions at this time include a dressing table for the Garde-meuble imperial at Rambouillet and three armoires for Saint-Cloud.