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Lot Essay
Bernard II van Risenburgh, maître before 1737.
THE DESIGN
This model of jewel-coffer secretaire en cabinet was almost certainly supplied by the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier. Executed in both bois de bout and early neo-classical marquetry, simple parquetry and even Japanese lacquer, the model is known to have been made by other ébénistes ranging from Jean-Françcois Leleu and Joseph Baumhauer to Guillaume Kemp and Roger van der Cruse, dit Lacroix. The categoric link with Poirier was provided by an example by BVRB veneered in Japanese lacquer, whose interior drawer was inscribed 'Poirier..Marchand' (sold from the Alexander Collection, Christie's New York, 30 April 1999, lot 105).
Related cabinets of this form by BVRB with a fall-front of plain veneer or neo-classical vase marquetry include that sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 9 May 1985, lot 190; another, sold from the Patiño Collection, Sotheby's New York, 1 November 1986, lot 116 and a final example, formerly in the collection of Penard y Fernandez, sold Etude Picard Tajan, Monaco, 17 March 1988, lot 89.
A further group of unstamped cabinets, their fall-fronts veneered with bois-de-bout flowering branches, comprises: one in the Forsyth Wickes at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (formerly in the collection of the Counts Potocki, Lancut, Poland, no. 62.2504, illustrated in P. Verlet, Les Meubles Français du XVIIème siècle, Paris, 1982, fig. 151); another, sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 22 June 1986, lot 634; and a final example from the Patiño Collection, sold Sotheby's New York, 1 November 1986, lot 115.
BERNARD II VAN RISENBURGH (c.1696-1767)
Bernard II Van Risenburgh, known by his initials as BVRB, was one of the most celebrated ébénistes of his era. After gaining his maitrise in 1730, BVRB established his own workshop independently of his father where his work stood apart from that of his contemporaries with its innovative conception, construction and innovative gilt bronze mounts. He worked almost exclusively for the foremost Parisian marchands-merciers of the mid-18th Century such as Thomas-Joachim Hébert, Lazare Duvaux and Simon-Philippe Poirier. They supplied BVRB with the rich and exotic materials such as Japanese lacquer and Sèvres porcelain, which were incorporated into his finest pieces and sold to the most prestigious clientele.
Although BVRB collaborated with different marchands and was constrained by their individual demands, he developed a highly personal and distinctive style which makes his work instantly recognizable. Perhaps the most significant sign is the exceptional quality of his mounts. Their impeccable ciselure lends them a sculptural fluidity unmatched by his contemporaries and most are unique to his oeuvre. This not only identifies his work but also suggests that unlike other ébénistes, he either designed his own mounts or retained a bronzier for his exclusive use. BVRB is also credited with reviving the great marquetry tradition of Louis XIV masters such as André-Charles Boulle, and especially the development of a particularly refined form of end-cut marquetry known as 'bois de bout' marquetry.
THE DESIGN
This model of jewel-coffer secretaire en cabinet was almost certainly supplied by the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier. Executed in both bois de bout and early neo-classical marquetry, simple parquetry and even Japanese lacquer, the model is known to have been made by other ébénistes ranging from Jean-Françcois Leleu and Joseph Baumhauer to Guillaume Kemp and Roger van der Cruse, dit Lacroix. The categoric link with Poirier was provided by an example by BVRB veneered in Japanese lacquer, whose interior drawer was inscribed 'Poirier..Marchand' (sold from the Alexander Collection, Christie's New York, 30 April 1999, lot 105).
Related cabinets of this form by BVRB with a fall-front of plain veneer or neo-classical vase marquetry include that sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 9 May 1985, lot 190; another, sold from the Patiño Collection, Sotheby's New York, 1 November 1986, lot 116 and a final example, formerly in the collection of Penard y Fernandez, sold Etude Picard Tajan, Monaco, 17 March 1988, lot 89.
A further group of unstamped cabinets, their fall-fronts veneered with bois-de-bout flowering branches, comprises: one in the Forsyth Wickes at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (formerly in the collection of the Counts Potocki, Lancut, Poland, no. 62.2504, illustrated in P. Verlet, Les Meubles Français du XVIIème siècle, Paris, 1982, fig. 151); another, sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 22 June 1986, lot 634; and a final example from the Patiño Collection, sold Sotheby's New York, 1 November 1986, lot 115.
BERNARD II VAN RISENBURGH (c.1696-1767)
Bernard II Van Risenburgh, known by his initials as BVRB, was one of the most celebrated ébénistes of his era. After gaining his maitrise in 1730, BVRB established his own workshop independently of his father where his work stood apart from that of his contemporaries with its innovative conception, construction and innovative gilt bronze mounts. He worked almost exclusively for the foremost Parisian marchands-merciers of the mid-18th Century such as Thomas-Joachim Hébert, Lazare Duvaux and Simon-Philippe Poirier. They supplied BVRB with the rich and exotic materials such as Japanese lacquer and Sèvres porcelain, which were incorporated into his finest pieces and sold to the most prestigious clientele.
Although BVRB collaborated with different marchands and was constrained by their individual demands, he developed a highly personal and distinctive style which makes his work instantly recognizable. Perhaps the most significant sign is the exceptional quality of his mounts. Their impeccable ciselure lends them a sculptural fluidity unmatched by his contemporaries and most are unique to his oeuvre. This not only identifies his work but also suggests that unlike other ébénistes, he either designed his own mounts or retained a bronzier for his exclusive use. BVRB is also credited with reviving the great marquetry tradition of Louis XIV masters such as André-Charles Boulle, and especially the development of a particularly refined form of end-cut marquetry known as 'bois de bout' marquetry.