Lot Essay
Jacques van Oostenrick, called d'Autriche, maître in 1765.
This model of breakfront commode, first evolved in Jean-François Oeben's workshops between 1750-62, was especially favoured by Gilles Joubert, ébéniste du Roi. In the last decade of Joubert's career (1765-1775) he supplied many Royal commodes of this pattern, which he subcontracted to ébénistes such as RVLC, Boudin and Cramer (H. Roberts, 'Gilles Joubert as Subcontractor', Furniture History Society Journal, 1985, pp. 32-35, figs. 407). A number of them have the same distinctive Mercury mask plaque - for example the pair of commodes supplied by RVLC for the salon de compagnie of Madamoiselle du Barry at Versailles in 1772 and the pair by M-G. Cramer for the chambre à coucher of the comte de Provence at Fontainebleau in 1771 (op. cit., figs, 5 and 7). A similar commode, bearing the false stamp of J.F. Leleu, was sold anonymously at Christie's London, 13 June 1991, Lot 79. Another, by d'Autriche was sold by the Earl of Ashburnham at Sotheby's London, 26 June 1953, lot 111 and again at Sotheby's New York, 27 October 1990, Lot 83.
Furthermore, all the mounts on this group of commodes can be found elsewhere. Thus, the apron mount appears on a commode in Schloss Ludwigsberg, the distinctive Vitruvian-scroll frieze that featured on the almost identical pair of commodes sold by the late Mrs. Vernon Sangster in these Rooms, 4 July 1996, lot 290, can also be seen on the commode sold at Burat, Paris, 17 June 1937, lot 139, an encoignure sold at Couturier Nicolay, Paris, 14 September 1986 and on a commode in the collection of the Duke of Wellington at Stratfield Saye.
This model of breakfront commode, first evolved in Jean-François Oeben's workshops between 1750-62, was especially favoured by Gilles Joubert, ébéniste du Roi. In the last decade of Joubert's career (1765-1775) he supplied many Royal commodes of this pattern, which he subcontracted to ébénistes such as RVLC, Boudin and Cramer (H. Roberts, 'Gilles Joubert as Subcontractor', Furniture History Society Journal, 1985, pp. 32-35, figs. 407). A number of them have the same distinctive Mercury mask plaque - for example the pair of commodes supplied by RVLC for the salon de compagnie of Madamoiselle du Barry at Versailles in 1772 and the pair by M-G. Cramer for the chambre à coucher of the comte de Provence at Fontainebleau in 1771 (op. cit., figs, 5 and 7). A similar commode, bearing the false stamp of J.F. Leleu, was sold anonymously at Christie's London, 13 June 1991, Lot 79. Another, by d'Autriche was sold by the Earl of Ashburnham at Sotheby's London, 26 June 1953, lot 111 and again at Sotheby's New York, 27 October 1990, Lot 83.
Furthermore, all the mounts on this group of commodes can be found elsewhere. Thus, the apron mount appears on a commode in Schloss Ludwigsberg, the distinctive Vitruvian-scroll frieze that featured on the almost identical pair of commodes sold by the late Mrs. Vernon Sangster in these Rooms, 4 July 1996, lot 290, can also be seen on the commode sold at Burat, Paris, 17 June 1937, lot 139, an encoignure sold at Couturier Nicolay, Paris, 14 September 1986 and on a commode in the collection of the Duke of Wellington at Stratfield Saye.