A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED, BRASS AND TORTOISESHELL-INLAID PREMIERE-PARTIE 'BOULLE' MARQUETRY AND EBONY MEUBLES D'APPUI
A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED, BRASS AND TORTOISESHELL-INLAID PREMIERE-PARTIE 'BOULLE' MARQUETRY AND EBONY MEUBLES D'APPUI
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Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more
A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED, BRASS AND TORTOISESHELL-INLAID PREMIERE-PARTIE 'BOULLE' MARQUETRY AND EBONY MEUBLES D'APPUI

LATE 19TH CENTURY, IN THE MANNER OF ANDRE-CHARLES BOULLE

Details
A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED, BRASS AND TORTOISESHELL-INLAID PREMIERE-PARTIE 'BOULLE' MARQUETRY AND EBONY MEUBLES D'APPUI
LATE 19TH CENTURY, IN THE MANNER OF ANDRE-CHARLES BOULLE
Each with a rectangular top above an egg-and-dart border and a pair of doors inlaid with scrolling foliage, flowers and trelliswork applied with foliate cast and stippled gilt bronze mounts and a satyr mask, above a shaped apron and on toupie feet
57 in. (145 cm.) high; 49 ½ in. (126 cm.) wide; 19 ½ in. (49.5 cm.) deep
Provenance
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 12 May 2015, lot 49.
Special notice
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country. Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square not collected from Christie’s by 5.00 pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Cadogan Tate. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Cadogan Tate Ltd. All collections will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

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Alexandra Cruden
Alexandra Cruden

Lot Essay

This pair of neo-Boulle cabinets par excellence is a fine manifestation of the 19th century preoccupation with the œuvre of the celebrated ébéniste. The present meubles à hauteur d’appui combine elements from two noted works by André-Charles Boulle: the splendid marquetry panels of flowing arabesques and foliage to the top of the cabinet doors relate closely to the back panel of a clock case of a pedestal clock attributed to the master, dated to circa 1720-25, and today in the Wallace Collection (F42), while the scrolling mounts set with satyr masks and enclosing diapered marquetry to the bottom of each cabinet door relate to those on the lateral doors of a splendid wardrobe by Boulle circa 1715, and in the same collection (F429). The leading French ébénistes of the late 19th century would have been well familiar with these and other works by Boulle, and in their efforts to meet a burgeoning international demand for cabinetry by the master, created both exact replicas of his celebrated models and new inventions such as the present lot, which skilfully combine elements of numerous masterpieces into a creation evocative of the rich and eclectic esprit du XIXe siècle.

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