Lot 90
90
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
A LOUIS XIV ORMOLU-MOUNTED EBONY AND FLORAL MARQUETRY COMMODE, the top possibly by André-Charles Boulle, with rounded rectangular brass-bound top centred by birds resting upon a branch with roses, peonies and other flowers within a richly scrolling foliate arabesque border with an urn to the centre of each side, above two short and two long bow-shaped drawers similarly inlaid with scrolling foliage, with a further secret drawer between the two short drawers, between pierced canted angles, the sides inlaid with a still life of flowers on a plinth surmounted by a grotesque mask, above a moulded apron with a further grimacing mask and on foliage-carved hairy cleft feet, the top re-used from an earlier piece and cut down to the back by 2¾in. (7cm.)

Details
A LOUIS XIV ORMOLU-MOUNTED EBONY AND FLORAL MARQUETRY COMMODE, the top possibly by André-Charles Boulle, with rounded rectangular brass-bound top centred by birds resting upon a branch with roses, peonies and other flowers within a richly scrolling foliate arabesque border with an urn to the centre of each side, above two short and two long bow-shaped drawers similarly inlaid with scrolling foliage, with a further secret drawer between the two short drawers, between pierced canted angles, the sides inlaid with a still life of flowers on a plinth surmounted by a grotesque mask, above a moulded apron with a further grimacing mask and on foliage-carved hairy cleft feet, the top re-used from an earlier piece and cut down to the back by 2¾in. (7cm.)
48½in. (123cm.) wide; 30¾in. (78cm.) high; 28¼in. (72cm.) deep
Provenance
By family descent certainly since circa 1830

Lot Essay

The top, designed in the Louis XIV 'antique' or 'Roman' style, depicts birds alighting on a flower posy within a floral-wreathed medallion. The latter, bound by four foliated clasps of acanthus foliage, has pedestal-supports provided by scrolled acanthus-enriched ribbons, whose flowered and voluted corners are tied by scalloped rings. At the sides, sacred urns, embellished with foliage, are perched on acanthus buds. The borders derive from arabesque foliage patterns, such as those published by Paul Androuet DuCerceau in his Livre d'Ornemens de feuillage, circa 1650, while the naturalism of the flowers relates to the work of the flower artist Blain de Fontenay (d. 1715). The superb naturalism of the marquetry relates to that of André-Charles Boulle and could be a product of Louis XIV's Gobelins Manufactory

More from French Furniture and Carpets

View All
View All