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Lot Essay
This bureau plat with its distinctive mounts can confidently be attributed to the Maître aux Pagodes because of the dragon-mounts flanking the knee-hole and the unusual angle mounts with masks with fish-tailed beards. The discovery by Christie's of the 'N.G.' stamp on the extensively mounted tortoiseshell and ebony commode clearly executed by the Maître aux Pagodes from the collection of Joanne Toor Cummings (+), sold in these Rooms, 21 May 1996, lot 238, seemed to resolve the mystery of the identity of this cabinet-maker. However, Noël Gérard, who used the 'N.G.' stamp, is also know to have acted in the capacity of a marchand, retailing the production of his confrères.
Another plausible attribution for the group that has been suggested is Boulle fils, most especially André-Charles II, and certainly mounts on pieces by the Maître aux Pagodes are similar to Boulle workshop examples; it would have been only natural for Boulle fils to continue using their father's mounts. Moreover, an armoire adorned with pagodes and identified as the work of un fils du celèbre Boulle is noted in the Gaignat sale of 1769, and the predominant use of the tortoiseshell is a hallmark of the Boulle workshop. Additionally it is also interesting to note that a commode appears in the 1765 sale of the stock of the renowned ébéniste Charles Cressent with deux pagodes sur les tiroirs.
COMPARABLE WORKS
This bureau plat is essentially identical to one that first appears in the collection of the 12th Earl of Pembroke, 7 Carlton House Terrace, and that was subsequently sold at Christie's London 5 - 9 and 12 May 1851, lot 400, to the 2nd Earl of Normanton who placed it at Somerley. That bureau was sold again from the property of The Earl of Normanton at Christie's London, 1 July 1982, lot 75. The only apparent difference between the Normanton desk and the offered lot is a slight size difference, the Normanton desk measuring 64 1/2 in. (163 cm.) in width, 31 1/4 in. (81 cm.) in height and 32 3/4 in. (83 cm.) in depth.
A further bureau plat of similar overall design (57½ in. wide) and identical dragon mounts but differing angle mounts and sabots from the collection of Mrs. Charles B Wrightsman, was sold at Sotheby's New York, 14 October 1988, lot 70. Sir Francis Watson had found that that bureau plat had descended from the fourth Marquess of Hertford, Sir Richard Wallace and Sir John Murray Scott to Victoria, Lady Sackville, who sold it to the art dealers Jacques Seligman et Cie, together with a nearly identical but slightly larger bureau plat (64 in. wide). Both were later sold by Gorm Rasmussen at Christie's London, 24 February 1938, lots 10 and 11 - lot 11 was subsequently sold again at Palais Galliera, 4 March 1961.
In addition to these bureau plats another 64 in. wide version with identical mounts except for the chutes from the Patino Collection was sold at Sotheby's New York, 1 November 1986, lot 80, while one is recorded in the former collection of comtesse Niel (Connaissance des arts, February 1980, p. 54).
THE MOUNTS
The mounts of this bureau plat can be found on a small number of works that are equally attributed to the Maître aux Pagodes. The dragon mounts that flank the knee-hole can, as mentioned above be found on four other bureau plats. The distinctive masks to the angles are related and may derive from a design by Bernard Toro for a the mask on a console table (Livre de Tables de Diverses Formes, Paris, 1716). They also adorn the pedestal of an associated musical clock depicting Apollo that is attributed to André-Charles Boulle (B. Langer, Die Möbel der Residenz München, Die französischen Möbel des 18. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1995, vol. I, cat. 5, pp. 53 - 57). It can also be found on a Boulle marquetry bureau plat inlaid in contre partie that was sold anonymously in these Rooms, 23 October 1998, lot 62, an ebonised bureau plat that was offered anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 23 - 24 June 1985, lot 820, a satinwood commode illustrated in Pradère, op. cit., p. 127, fig. 85, a purplewood commode sold anonymously at Pavillion Gabriel, 14 June 1977, lot 146 and finally a purplewood writing-table from the Patino collection, sold Palais Galliera , 26 November 1975, lot 118 (P. Hughes, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Furniture, London, 1996, vol. II, pp. 791 - 792).
Another plausible attribution for the group that has been suggested is Boulle fils, most especially André-Charles II, and certainly mounts on pieces by the Maître aux Pagodes are similar to Boulle workshop examples; it would have been only natural for Boulle fils to continue using their father's mounts. Moreover, an armoire adorned with pagodes and identified as the work of un fils du celèbre Boulle is noted in the Gaignat sale of 1769, and the predominant use of the tortoiseshell is a hallmark of the Boulle workshop. Additionally it is also interesting to note that a commode appears in the 1765 sale of the stock of the renowned ébéniste Charles Cressent with deux pagodes sur les tiroirs.
COMPARABLE WORKS
This bureau plat is essentially identical to one that first appears in the collection of the 12th Earl of Pembroke, 7 Carlton House Terrace, and that was subsequently sold at Christie's London 5 - 9 and 12 May 1851, lot 400, to the 2nd Earl of Normanton who placed it at Somerley. That bureau was sold again from the property of The Earl of Normanton at Christie's London, 1 July 1982, lot 75. The only apparent difference between the Normanton desk and the offered lot is a slight size difference, the Normanton desk measuring 64 1/2 in. (163 cm.) in width, 31 1/4 in. (81 cm.) in height and 32 3/4 in. (83 cm.) in depth.
A further bureau plat of similar overall design (57½ in. wide) and identical dragon mounts but differing angle mounts and sabots from the collection of Mrs. Charles B Wrightsman, was sold at Sotheby's New York, 14 October 1988, lot 70. Sir Francis Watson had found that that bureau plat had descended from the fourth Marquess of Hertford, Sir Richard Wallace and Sir John Murray Scott to Victoria, Lady Sackville, who sold it to the art dealers Jacques Seligman et Cie, together with a nearly identical but slightly larger bureau plat (64 in. wide). Both were later sold by Gorm Rasmussen at Christie's London, 24 February 1938, lots 10 and 11 - lot 11 was subsequently sold again at Palais Galliera, 4 March 1961.
In addition to these bureau plats another 64 in. wide version with identical mounts except for the chutes from the Patino Collection was sold at Sotheby's New York, 1 November 1986, lot 80, while one is recorded in the former collection of comtesse Niel (Connaissance des arts, February 1980, p. 54).
THE MOUNTS
The mounts of this bureau plat can be found on a small number of works that are equally attributed to the Maître aux Pagodes. The dragon mounts that flank the knee-hole can, as mentioned above be found on four other bureau plats. The distinctive masks to the angles are related and may derive from a design by Bernard Toro for a the mask on a console table (Livre de Tables de Diverses Formes, Paris, 1716). They also adorn the pedestal of an associated musical clock depicting Apollo that is attributed to André-Charles Boulle (B. Langer, Die Möbel der Residenz München, Die französischen Möbel des 18. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1995, vol. I, cat. 5, pp. 53 - 57). It can also be found on a Boulle marquetry bureau plat inlaid in contre partie that was sold anonymously in these Rooms, 23 October 1998, lot 62, an ebonised bureau plat that was offered anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 23 - 24 June 1985, lot 820, a satinwood commode illustrated in Pradère, op. cit., p. 127, fig. 85, a purplewood commode sold anonymously at Pavillion Gabriel, 14 June 1977, lot 146 and finally a purplewood writing-table from the Patino collection, sold Palais Galliera , 26 November 1975, lot 118 (P. Hughes, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Furniture, London, 1996, vol. II, pp. 791 - 792).