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Lot Essay
LOUIS DELAITRE, MATRE IN 1738 (PROBABLY IN THE CAPACITY OF A RETAILER OR RESTORER)
THE 'C' COURONN POINON WAS A TAX MARK USED IN FRANCE BETWEEN MARCH 1745 AND FEBRUARY 1749 ON ANY ALLOY CONTAINING COPPER. THE DISTINCTIVE ORMOLU MOUNTS OF THIS IMPRESSIVE COMMODE, WITH LARGE SCALE CONFRONTING C-SCROLLS FRAMING FINELY CHASED TRAILING FLOWERS ON A GROUND OF CAREFULLY ORDERED PANELS OF BOIS SATIN, IS FOUND ON A GROUP OF COMMODES ATTRIBUTED TO THE CELEBRATED BNISTE CHARLES CRESSENT (1685-1768). EXAMPLES IN THE GROUP THAT ARE CLOSEST IN DESIGN TO THIS COMMODE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
-ONE IN THE RIJKSMUSEUM, ILLUSTRATED IN H. HAYWARD ED., WORLD FURNITURE, LONDON, 1965, P. 111, FIG. 388, ONE FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE DUKES OF BUCCLEUCH, SOLD CHRISTIE'S LONDON, 3 JULY 1986, LOT 129, ONE IN THE JONES COLLECTION, VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, ILLUSTRATED IN O. BRACKETT, CATALOGUE OF THE JONES COLLECTION, LONDON, 1922, FIG. 8, ONE FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF J. PIERPONT MORGAN, EXHIBITED AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM IN 1914, ILLUSTRATED IN C. CANFIELD, THE INCREDIBLE PIERPONT MORGAN, NEW YORK, 1974, P. 114
OTHER MORE ELABORATELY MOUNTED COMMODES FIRMLY ATTRIBUTED TO CRESSENT, WITH CLOSELY RELATED TRAILING FLORAL MOUNTS, INCLUDE AN EXAMPLE IN THE LOUVRE, PREVIOUSLY IN THE ORTIZ-PATINO COLLECTION (ILLUSTRATED IN D. ALCOUFFE ET AL., FURNITURE COLLECTIONS IN THE LOUVRE, DIJON, 1993, VOL. I, P. 116, CAT. 35) AND ONE PREVIOUSLY IN THE COLLECTIONS OF AKRAM OJJEH AND BARON JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD (TO BE OFFERED IN THESE ROOMS ON 24 NOVEMBER).
CHARLES CRESSENT IS ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED BNISTES OF HIS AGE AND ONE OF THE SELECT FEW TO BE MENTIONED BY NAME IN 18TH CENTURY
CATALOGUES. HE INITIALLY TRAINED AS A SCULPTEUR, AND HIS FAME RESTS PRIMARILY ON THE EXTRAORDINARILY SCULPTURAL QUALITY OF HIS ORMOLU MOUNTS WHICH HE CONTINUED TO PRODUCE IN INFRINGEMENT OF STRICT GUILD REGULATIONS. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT IDENTICAL HANDLES APPEAR ON A COMMODE BY NICOLAS MARCHAND SOLD IN THESE ROOMS 19 MARCH 1998, LOT 104, INDICATING THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN PURCHASED EITHER DIRECT FROM CRESSENT OR AT ONE OF THE SALES OF HIS STOCK HELD IN 1748, 1757 AND 1765.
THE 'C' COURONN POINON WAS A TAX MARK USED IN FRANCE BETWEEN MARCH 1745 AND FEBRUARY 1749 ON ANY ALLOY CONTAINING COPPER. THE DISTINCTIVE ORMOLU MOUNTS OF THIS IMPRESSIVE COMMODE, WITH LARGE SCALE CONFRONTING C-SCROLLS FRAMING FINELY CHASED TRAILING FLOWERS ON A GROUND OF CAREFULLY ORDERED PANELS OF BOIS SATIN, IS FOUND ON A GROUP OF COMMODES ATTRIBUTED TO THE CELEBRATED BNISTE CHARLES CRESSENT (1685-1768). EXAMPLES IN THE GROUP THAT ARE CLOSEST IN DESIGN TO THIS COMMODE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
-ONE IN THE RIJKSMUSEUM, ILLUSTRATED IN H. HAYWARD ED., WORLD FURNITURE, LONDON, 1965, P. 111, FIG. 388, ONE FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE DUKES OF BUCCLEUCH, SOLD CHRISTIE'S LONDON, 3 JULY 1986, LOT 129, ONE IN THE JONES COLLECTION, VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, ILLUSTRATED IN O. BRACKETT, CATALOGUE OF THE JONES COLLECTION, LONDON, 1922, FIG. 8, ONE FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF J. PIERPONT MORGAN, EXHIBITED AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM IN 1914, ILLUSTRATED IN C. CANFIELD, THE INCREDIBLE PIERPONT MORGAN, NEW YORK, 1974, P. 114
OTHER MORE ELABORATELY MOUNTED COMMODES FIRMLY ATTRIBUTED TO CRESSENT, WITH CLOSELY RELATED TRAILING FLORAL MOUNTS, INCLUDE AN EXAMPLE IN THE LOUVRE, PREVIOUSLY IN THE ORTIZ-PATINO COLLECTION (ILLUSTRATED IN D. ALCOUFFE ET AL., FURNITURE COLLECTIONS IN THE LOUVRE, DIJON, 1993, VOL. I, P. 116, CAT. 35) AND ONE PREVIOUSLY IN THE COLLECTIONS OF AKRAM OJJEH AND BARON JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD (TO BE OFFERED IN THESE ROOMS ON 24 NOVEMBER).
CHARLES CRESSENT IS ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED BNISTES OF HIS AGE AND ONE OF THE SELECT FEW TO BE MENTIONED BY NAME IN 18TH CENTURY
CATALOGUES. HE INITIALLY TRAINED AS A SCULPTEUR, AND HIS FAME RESTS PRIMARILY ON THE EXTRAORDINARILY SCULPTURAL QUALITY OF HIS ORMOLU MOUNTS WHICH HE CONTINUED TO PRODUCE IN INFRINGEMENT OF STRICT GUILD REGULATIONS. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT IDENTICAL HANDLES APPEAR ON A COMMODE BY NICOLAS MARCHAND SOLD IN THESE ROOMS 19 MARCH 1998, LOT 104, INDICATING THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN PURCHASED EITHER DIRECT FROM CRESSENT OR AT ONE OF THE SALES OF HIS STOCK HELD IN 1748, 1757 AND 1765.