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Lot Essay
Carlin is justly famous for the jewel-like quality of the furniture he produced, in particular for the variety of tables decorated with sumptuous materials, such as Sèvres porcelain, hardstones or Japanese lacquer. This table is a rare combination of japanese lacquer and specimen marbles, obviously using materials provided to the cabinet maker by a marchand-mercier for an exceptionally rich and discerning client. Indeed, Carlin is known to have worked exclusively for the marchands-merciers.
By the mid-1770's Carlin's production of porcelain-mounted furniture declined and from the late 1770's he was producing fashionable Japanese lacquer-mounted pieces. These include a commode and two encoignures delivered through the marchand-merciers the Darnault brothers for Madame Adélaide's grand cabinet at Bellevue in 1781 for 7200 livres and now in the Louvre (D. Alcouffe et al., Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Dijon, 1993, Vol I. pp. 248-253). Although the commode has subsequently lost its panels of japanese lacquer, the encoignures have kept theirs and all three share the same distinctive female mask angle-mount with vine leaves and acanthus-wrapped egg moulding as on this table. Madame Adélaide's Grand Cabinet also contained another pair of encoignures supplied in 1780 (D. Alcouffe et al. op cit, pp. 246-247), a console with a veined white marble top supplied in 1782 and a desk supplied in 1784. All of these pieces decorated with panels of Japanese lacquer were probably supplied by Carlin. Another set, also in the Louvre, with richer mounts and incorporating exceptional panels of Japanese lacquer taken from a Japanese lacquer cabinet purchased by the Darnaults at the duc d'Aumont's sale in 1782, was supplied by the Darnaults for Madame Victoire's Grand Cabinet at Bellevue. (D. Alcouffe et al. op cit, pp. 254-259). The commode, unfinished at the time of Carlin's death was delivered at a cost of 6500 livres in 1785. The encoignures, delivered in the same year, were probably made by Carlin's successor Gaspard Schneider. The same delivery also included a table en chiffonnière and a bureau plat, the latter also finished by Schneider, both now in the Louvre (op. cit. pp. 260-261).
Carlin also supplied furniture mounted with japanese lacquer to the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre. The commode à encoignures by Carlin in the Louvre, formerly in the collection of the marquise de Brunoy, was probably supplied by Daguerre, (D. Alcouffe, op. cit., p. 239).
The tasselled apron mount, which derives from those on Boulle pedestals from 1710-1730, also appears on porcelain-mounted jewel coffers by Carlin (A. Pradère, op cit. p. 357, fig. 422), as well as on a console by Weisweiler with tôle plaques painted in imitation of Japanese lacquer and with a similar specimen marble top, offered at Sotheby's New York, 22 May 1997, lot 236. Both the porcelain-mounted jewel-coffer and this latter console desserte were almost certainly commissioned by Daguerre.
Two other tables of the model are known. Another, with identical ormolu mounts and also with no stretcher but decorated in Louis XVI 'Boulle' marquetry, was sold from the collection of Francis Guérault, Paris, 31 March 1935, lot 96. The other, with some variations in the mounts, with a stretcher and decorated in ebony, was sold from the collection of Jacques Doucet, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 7-8 June, 1912, lot 333, resold Ader Picard Tajan, Palais Galliera, Paris, 24 November 1976, Lot 111. All three tables have apparently identical or very similar specimen marble tops which were presumably ordered by Daguerre or the Darnault's from the same specialist marbrier.
By the mid-1770's Carlin's production of porcelain-mounted furniture declined and from the late 1770's he was producing fashionable Japanese lacquer-mounted pieces. These include a commode and two encoignures delivered through the marchand-merciers the Darnault brothers for Madame Adélaide's grand cabinet at Bellevue in 1781 for 7200 livres and now in the Louvre (D. Alcouffe et al., Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Dijon, 1993, Vol I. pp. 248-253). Although the commode has subsequently lost its panels of japanese lacquer, the encoignures have kept theirs and all three share the same distinctive female mask angle-mount with vine leaves and acanthus-wrapped egg moulding as on this table. Madame Adélaide's Grand Cabinet also contained another pair of encoignures supplied in 1780 (D. Alcouffe et al. op cit, pp. 246-247), a console with a veined white marble top supplied in 1782 and a desk supplied in 1784. All of these pieces decorated with panels of Japanese lacquer were probably supplied by Carlin. Another set, also in the Louvre, with richer mounts and incorporating exceptional panels of Japanese lacquer taken from a Japanese lacquer cabinet purchased by the Darnaults at the duc d'Aumont's sale in 1782, was supplied by the Darnaults for Madame Victoire's Grand Cabinet at Bellevue. (D. Alcouffe et al. op cit, pp. 254-259). The commode, unfinished at the time of Carlin's death was delivered at a cost of 6500 livres in 1785. The encoignures, delivered in the same year, were probably made by Carlin's successor Gaspard Schneider. The same delivery also included a table en chiffonnière and a bureau plat, the latter also finished by Schneider, both now in the Louvre (op. cit. pp. 260-261).
Carlin also supplied furniture mounted with japanese lacquer to the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre. The commode à encoignures by Carlin in the Louvre, formerly in the collection of the marquise de Brunoy, was probably supplied by Daguerre, (D. Alcouffe, op. cit., p. 239).
The tasselled apron mount, which derives from those on Boulle pedestals from 1710-1730, also appears on porcelain-mounted jewel coffers by Carlin (A. Pradère, op cit. p. 357, fig. 422), as well as on a console by Weisweiler with tôle plaques painted in imitation of Japanese lacquer and with a similar specimen marble top, offered at Sotheby's New York, 22 May 1997, lot 236. Both the porcelain-mounted jewel-coffer and this latter console desserte were almost certainly commissioned by Daguerre.
Two other tables of the model are known. Another, with identical ormolu mounts and also with no stretcher but decorated in Louis XVI 'Boulle' marquetry, was sold from the collection of Francis Guérault, Paris, 31 March 1935, lot 96. The other, with some variations in the mounts, with a stretcher and decorated in ebony, was sold from the collection of Jacques Doucet, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 7-8 June, 1912, lot 333, resold Ader Picard Tajan, Palais Galliera, Paris, 24 November 1976, Lot 111. All three tables have apparently identical or very similar specimen marble tops which were presumably ordered by Daguerre or the Darnault's from the same specialist marbrier.