AN EARLY LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED JAPANESE BLACK AND GILT LACQUER BOX

THE ORMOLU CIRCA 1735, THE LACQUER EARLY 18TH CENTURY

Details

AN EARLY LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED JAPANESE BLACK AND GILT LACQUER BOX
The ormolu circa 1735, the lacquer early 18th century
Of lobed rectangular form, the lid decorated with a spray of fruit and leaves, the pierced frieze interspersed with engraved panels depicting birds, rabbits and mythical beasts in a landscape with buildings beyond, the ends with faceted carrying-handles, the sides decorated with an oriental mountainous landscape with buildings and trees
2in. (7cm.) high, 6in. (16cm.) wide, 4in. (10cm.) deep

Provenance

Anonymous sale, Rebourdin and Choppin de Janvry, Drouot, Paris, 17 December 1986, lot 81.

Lot Essay

The enthusiasm for Japanese lacquer amongst French amateurs in the eighteenth-century is well-known - chief amongst them being both the painter Franois Boucher and Madame de Pompadour, who owned the Van Diemen Box, possibly the most famous piece of Japanese lacquer of the period and also the most expensive piece of lacquer sold in any eighteenth century sale (R. Freyberger, 'The Randon de Boisset Sale, 1777: Decorative Arts', Apollo, April 1980, pp. 298-303). Initially, the dealers imported and sold unadorned lacquer objects and furniture, but from the later 1730's they progressively began to adapt lacquer panels into ever more inventive European forms.

More from The Alexander Collection:French Furniture, Boxes & Porcelain

View All