A FINE MACASSAR EBONY AND TOOLED LEATHER JEWELLERY CABINET

Details

A FINE MACASSAR EBONY AND TOOLED LEATHER JEWELLERY CABINET
BY CLEMENT MERE, CIRCA 1925

The top inset with dark mottled grey marble, the cabinet with twin leather covered doors tooled with stylised floral decoration, stained and decorated ivory key escutcheons, opening to reveal four drawers each with tooled and decorated leather fronts detailed in brilliant turquoise, and aquamarine, ivory bud handles stained and decorated with complementary design, the drawers with seven carved and gilded ebony stop-pegs, the whole set on open base carved with fluted decoration at the corners, the bowed triangular section tapering legs terminating into fine ivory sabots stained and decorated with a stylised palmette design, single lower shelf, the leather decoration signed C.Mère.
55 1/2in. (141cm.) high; 19 3/4in. (50.25cm.) wide; 12 1/2in. (31.75cm.) deep

Provenance

Marcel and Clairette Wolfers, thence by descent.

Lot Essay

Purchased by Claire Petrucci and given to Marcel and Clairette to mark the birth of their first daughter in July 1925. The price is recorded in the Wolfers archive as 4500ff.

Clément Mère had an active business association with Wolfers Frères, and his friendship with Marcel Wolfers developed as a result. His love of fine and precious materials for his work was very much in accord with Wolfers own creations in lacquer and ivory.
Correspondence between Mère and Wolfers exists in the Wolfers archive which relates to various works in hand for Wolfers Frères, and which includes a discussion of the relative virtues of Chinese and Japanese lacquer, and the progress of other commissions for furniture, silver and ivory. Mère is known to have produced cabinets of similar concept to the present piece to house silver tableware produced by Wolfers Frères.
(See detail on front cover)

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