ATTRIBUTED TO LORENZ NORDIN, MID-18TH CENTURY

Lorentz Nordin’s interpretation of Louis XV-style furniture for Swedish taste contributes to him being considered one of the greatest Swedish cabinet-makers of the 18th century. Appointed cabinet-maker to the court in 1743, and master cabinet-maker from 1752-73, a significant characteristic of Nordin’s furniture is chamfering to the back of the sides to enhance the Rococo shape, a device also employed by fellow furniture-maker Olof Martin and which is demonstrated on the present commode. Nordin employed ormolu in a sparingly aesthetic manner, although, as was fashionable at the time, framed the drawer fronts and side panels in ormolu, also seen on the present lot. Some unsigned commodes can be attributed to the workshop on the basis of the characteristic shape of the apron, which is further evidenced in this commode. Between 1759-1769, Nordin exported significant quantities of furniture made of indigenous and exotic woods. Among the masterpieces created by him was a commode now exhibited at the Nordiska Museet. Until the 1970s, this commode was considered to be veneered in walnut but more recently the timber has been identified as olivewood. The present commode is closely comparable to one stamped 'Nordin', which is of similar form and includes many of the same ormolu mounts, illustrated in T. Sylvén, Mästarnas Möbler: Stockholmsarbeten 1700-1850, Stockholm, 1996, p. 293. A virtually identical model is at Rydboholm Castle, Uppland, Sweden, in 'The Family Room', see B.G. Söderberg, Manor Houses and Royal Castles in Sweden, Malmo, 1975, p.109.