THE CASE LOUIS XVI AND RE-USED, THE PORCELAIN PLAQUES, ORMOLU MOUNTS AND EBONY VENEERS SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Details

A FRENCH ORMOLU AND SEVRES STYLE PORCELAIN-MOUNTED EBONY SECRETAIRE A ABATTANT
THE CASE LOUIS XVI AND RE-USED, THE PORCELAIN PLAQUES, ORMOLU MOUNTS AND EBONY VENEERS SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY
The grey and white marble top above a fall-front with central oval plaque decorated with a flower-filled basket against a teal ground, with further spandrel floral plaques, opening to a writing surface, four drawers, and pigeon holes, over a pair of doors each with a similar plaque, each side similarly decorated with two plaques, on tapered feet, the mounts stamped 'V', one porcelain plaque inscribed les/70/yoe/7/m, previously but probably not originally with a superstructure
46 in. (118 cm.) high; 30 in. (76 cm.) wide; 14½ in. (37 cm.) deep

Lot Essay

Lavishly embellished with ebony veneers, porcelain plaques and further ormolu mounts, the present cabinet reflects the passion for porcelain-mounted furniture among collectors in the early 19th century. Exponents of this taste included enterprising dealers such as Edward Holmes Baldock, who was known for modifying 'antique' furniture to conform to contemporary tastes. His illustrious clients included the 5th Duke of Buccleuch (d. 1884), to whom he supplied several examples of porcelain-mounted furniture. It is interesting to note a porcelain-mounted bureau plat, with Baldock's brand, in the Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, which is now thought to be a 19th century copy of an 18th Century model, and thus entirely Baldock's creation.

More from 19th Century Furniture, Sculpture, Works of Art and Ceramics

View All