A GERMAN BRASS-MOUNTED MAHOGANY, BIRCH AND PARQUETRY SECRETAIRE-CABINET

LATE 18TH EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Details

A GERMAN BRASS-MOUNTED MAHOGANY, BIRCH AND PARQUETRY SECRETAIRE-CABINET
Late 18th early 19th Century
Inlaid overall with ebony lines, the rectangular fossil grey marble top above a banded tapering frieze and two doors with central lozenge of a music-making angel, the spandrels with quatrefoil flowerhead within roundels, above the fallfront simulated as two doors centred by a circular medallion with an armorial trophy and with simulated coronets to the spandrels, to the reverse with a green leather-lined writing- surface, and enclosing a fitted interior of two compartments and six drawers flanking a central compartment concealing two sliding drawers, above two further drawers with conforming decoration to the top doors but with an armorial trophy in the lozenge, flanked by panels, the sides with various inscribed rectangles, on toupie feet with brass caps, two brass circles lacking, with old paper label to reverse
31in. (80cm.) wide; 61in. (151cm.) high; 14in. (36cm.) deep

Lot Essay

The mahogany marble-topped cabinet with columnar-stump feet is embellished in the French style of 1800 popularised by C. Percier and P. Fontaine's, Receuil de décorations intérieures, 1801. The narrow pilasters and Grecian-compartmented door panels are banded in ormolu and display ormolu bas-reliefs celebrating Love's Triumph. Palm-framed and sunflower-inlaid medallions bear laurel-wreathed trophies of Cupid's targe and weapons, while accompanied by Mars' flower-wreathed sword and Fame-trumpeting Pompeian figures set in lozenged compartments. Related lozenge-framed figures feature on Queen Hortense's Cabinet executed about 1806 by Adam Weisweiler (S. Grandjean, Empire Furniture, London, 1966, fig. 24).

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