BY PIERRE ROUSSEL, MID-18TH CENTURY

Details

A LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED TULIPWOOD AND FLORAL MARQUETRY BOMBE COMMODE
BY PIERRE ROUSSEL, MID-18TH CENTURY
The serpentine-fronted cottanello antico marble top above two drawers inlaid sans traverse with winding flowers, and mounted with scrolling foliate handles and escutcheons, the lower drawer with a shaped apron, the sides with foliate panels, with cabochon-cast and rockwork angle mounts, on cabriole legs with scrolled foliate sabots, stamped 'P. ROUSSEL' AND 'JME', remounted
38 in. (96.5 cm.) wide; 19¾ in. (50 cm.) deep; 33½ in. (85 cm.) high
Pierre Roussel, maître in 1745

Provenance

Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 14 May 1970, lot 104.
Sydney Duckitt sold, Phillip's, London, 7 April 1993, lot 115.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Established in the rue de Charenton at L'Image de St. Pierre, Roussel was one of the most prolific ébénistes of the period, his atelier continuing after his death in 1782 up until 1792-5. He was particularly renowned for his use of naturalistic floral marquetry, as on this commode and the example offered as lot 34, often enhanced with vigorous engraving to increase the illusionistic effect. Closely related C-scroll encadrements are employed on two almost identical spectacular large scale floral marquetry commodes by Roussel, one sold from the Alexander Collection, Christie's New York, 30 April 1999, lot 180 ($220,000), and one from the collection of S. Chalom, illustrated in P. Verlet, Les Ebénistes du XVIIIe Siècle Français, Paris, 1963, p. 131.

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