BY ETIENNE-SIMON-EUGÈNE ROUDILLON, CIRCA 1890

Etienne-Simon-Eugène Roudillon is recorded as being an established tapissier-ébéniste in Paris in 1844 (see D. Ledoux-Lebard, Le Mobilier Français du XIXe Siècle, Paris, 1984, pp. 563-4). The business grew rapidly and in 1853 Roudillon took over the firm of tapissiers, Ringuet-Leprince, and set up ateliers at 9, rue Caumartin, employing in excess of five hundred workers. The firm was represented at all of the major exhibitions of the second half of the 19th century, frequently winning awards. In 1880 Roudillon sold his business to Renault & Cie, which in turn became Alavoine & Cie in 1890. Although the style and fine quality of this console would suggest an earlier date of manufacture, the inclusion of 'Alavoine & Cie' in the maker's stamp to its reverse indicate that it was made, or at least retailed, no earlier than 1890.