Lot Essay
Born in 1723, Laurent Rochette was appointed ébéniste suivant la cour shortly before 1750, setting up his atelier in the rue Saint Antoine. The form of this commode would certainly have been unfashionable at the time that Rochette was established, and he must, therefore, have stamped it in his capacity as a restorer.
This commode was certainly executed by an ébéniste working in the atelier of the marchand-ébéniste Noel Gérard. It belongs to a distinctive group of both 'commodes à deux tiroirs' and 'commodes à trois tiroirs' of circa 1730, either stamped by or attributed to Gérard
Commodes à deux tiroirs
-one, from the collection of Prince Basil Koubshoubey, was sold in Paris, 13-16 June 1906, lot 382 and was resold at Couturier Nicolay, Paris, 23 March 1982, lot 100.
-another, en contre-partie from a private collection in Paris, is illustrated in Maisons et Jardins, Paris, 1965, no. 110, p.103.
-another was sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 14 November 1985, lot 227.
-another, stamped by Noël Gérard, from the collection of Madame Camoin, was sold in Paris, 2 April 1987, lot 133.
Commodes à trois tiroirs
-one, on loan to Versailles from the Mobilier National, is illustrated in Emile Molinier, Le Mobilier Français, Paris, 1955, plate IX
-another, almost certainly acquired by Bertram, 4th Earl of Ashburnham, was sold by the Trustees of the Ashburnham Settled Estates at Sotheby's London, 26 June 1953, lot 117.
-another, in red tortoiseshell, was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 3 March 1990, lot 247.
-finally, another was sold anonymously at Galerie Koller, Zurich, 15-25 June 1994.
In the inventory taken following Noël Gérard's death in 1736, only four bibliothèques and two armoires with brass-inlaid marquetry on a tortoiseshell ground are recorded. This comparatively small number of pieces inlaid on a tortoiseshell ground reflects the changes in fashion away from 'Boulle' marquetry.
Gérard was both an ébéniste and a marchand, and he certainly retailed the productions of his confrères. While the presence of seven workbenches in the inventory of his atelier in 1736 indicates that his furniture production was considerable, it is also important to remember that several commodes of closely related form are stamped by fellow ébénistes such as Chevallier, Criard, LSP and Delaitre.
This commode was certainly executed by an ébéniste working in the atelier of the marchand-ébéniste Noel Gérard. It belongs to a distinctive group of both 'commodes à deux tiroirs' and 'commodes à trois tiroirs' of circa 1730, either stamped by or attributed to Gérard
Commodes à deux tiroirs
-one, from the collection of Prince Basil Koubshoubey, was sold in Paris, 13-16 June 1906, lot 382 and was resold at Couturier Nicolay, Paris, 23 March 1982, lot 100.
-another, en contre-partie from a private collection in Paris, is illustrated in Maisons et Jardins, Paris, 1965, no. 110, p.103.
-another was sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 14 November 1985, lot 227.
-another, stamped by Noël Gérard, from the collection of Madame Camoin, was sold in Paris, 2 April 1987, lot 133.
Commodes à trois tiroirs
-one, on loan to Versailles from the Mobilier National, is illustrated in Emile Molinier, Le Mobilier Français, Paris, 1955, plate IX
-another, almost certainly acquired by Bertram, 4th Earl of Ashburnham, was sold by the Trustees of the Ashburnham Settled Estates at Sotheby's London, 26 June 1953, lot 117.
-another, in red tortoiseshell, was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 3 March 1990, lot 247.
-finally, another was sold anonymously at Galerie Koller, Zurich, 15-25 June 1994.
In the inventory taken following Noël Gérard's death in 1736, only four bibliothèques and two armoires with brass-inlaid marquetry on a tortoiseshell ground are recorded. This comparatively small number of pieces inlaid on a tortoiseshell ground reflects the changes in fashion away from 'Boulle' marquetry.
Gérard was both an ébéniste and a marchand, and he certainly retailed the productions of his confrères. While the presence of seven workbenches in the inventory of his atelier in 1736 indicates that his furniture production was considerable, it is also important to remember that several commodes of closely related form are stamped by fellow ébénistes such as Chevallier, Criard, LSP and Delaitre.