AFTER ADAM WEISWEILER, ATTRIBUTED TO ALFRED BEURDELEY, PARIS, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Born in 1847, Alfred Beurdeley took over his father's successful business in 1875. The shop was located at the Pavillon de Hanovre, while Beurdeley's workshops were at 20 & 24 rue Dautancourt, Paris. The firm specialised in producing luxurious articles to the highest quality and was pre-eminent among the Parisian ébénistes and bronziers, especially for the refinement of its ormolu. The mercurial gilding and hand chasing are of a standard that makes them difficult to distinguish from late eighteenth century work. Beurdeley exhibited at the International Exhibitions, such as Paris in 1878 and Amsterdam in 1883, and was awarded the Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889. In the frequent absence of any signature, Beurdeley's work can be identified by the supreme quality of his cabinetwork and the fineness of his mounts, the latter occasionally bearing the small stamps BY for 'Beurdeley', or as here, MB for 'Maison Beurdeley'.