Lot Essay
This secretaire is closely related to the documented oeuvre of the ébéniste Martin Ohneberg, who was elected maître in 1773. In particular, the distinctive frieze also featured on the secretaire sold anonymously at Sotheby's London, 20 June 1986, lot 99, another sold in Paris, Ader-Picard-Tajan, 7 February 1990, lot 152 and a further example ilustrated in Jean Nicolay, L'Art et la Manière des Maîtres Ebénistes Français, Paris, 1956, p.349, fig.d.. The interlaced-horseshoe border mounts, however, also feature on secretaires supplied by the marchand-ébéniste Léonard Boudin, who was elected maître in 1761. Boudin's activity as a marchand flourished, and he employed ébénistes such as Evalde, Foullet, Denizot, Topino and Gilbert, bronziers like Ravrio and Labbé and vernisseurs such as Martin frères to satisfy his client's demands. A secretaire supplied by Boudin with this border was sold by the Marquess of Cholmondeley in these Rooms, Works of Art from Houghton, 8 December 1994, lot 74.