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Lot Essay
Bernard II Van Risamburgh (d. circa 1766), the Faubourg Saint-Antoine bniste, is regarded as the greatest cabinet-maker of the mid-18th Century. He supplied furniture to the Dauphin & Dauphine for Versailles though the marchand-mercier Hebert, and is credited for re-introducing the fashion of decorating veneered furniture with floral marquetry, which had since gone out of fashion in 1700. One of his earliest works in this style is the famous bureau plat supplied to the Dauphin at Versailles which is dated to around 1745. The floral marquetry and encadrement of this encoignure suggest that it can be dated to around 1755, when BVRB began to use tulipwood as his groundwood rather than bois satin bordered by amaranth.
The closely related encoignure was sold from the collection of Madame W., Sotheby's Monaco, 4-5 March 1984, lot 535. A pair of closely related encoignures attributed to BVRB was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 19/20 June 1992, lot 642, while another pair of encoignures by BVRB, formerly in the collection of M. Etienne Nicolas sold Sotheby's Monaco, 9 December 1995, lot 213, (FF1.080.000).
The closely related encoignure was sold from the collection of Madame W., Sotheby's Monaco, 4-5 March 1984, lot 535. A pair of closely related encoignures attributed to BVRB was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 19/20 June 1992, lot 642, while another pair of encoignures by BVRB, formerly in the collection of M. Etienne Nicolas sold Sotheby's Monaco, 9 December 1995, lot 213, (FF1.080.000).