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Lot Essay
Maurice Bernard Evald, maître in 1765.
Of German origin, like several of his fellow cabinet-makers, Evald moved to Paris in the early 1760s. Established in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he was soon patronized by the Royal family and the Court, and his distinguished clientèle included the duc d'Orléans, the duc d'Aumont, the princesse de Chimay, the comtesse de Périgord, the marquise de Bussy, the comte de Narbonne and the duc de Fitz-James.
In 1769, he was commissioned by François-Joseph Bélanger, dessinateur des Menus-Plaisirs to execute a jewel cabinet presented by Louis XV to Marie-Antoinette on the occasion of her wedding to the future Louis XVI in 1770. Unlike the neo-classical style of the Royal serre-bijoux, Evald's production is characterized by its distinctive use of marquetry decoration, frequently covering the piece in its entirety. The compositions are usually of two types: flower garlands tied with ribbons or musical trophies, often incorporating violins or a harp. His short career ended when he disappeared in 1774, probably for financial reasons, leaving a number of unfinished marquetry pieces.
Evald took inspiration from engravings which is exemplified by the vases in marquetry to the sides of the secrétaire that are essentially identical to a vase published by Maurice Jacques in circa 1765 in a book of designs. A secretaire of virtually identical design by Evald is at Saltram, Devon (S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, London, 1974, fig. 140).
Of German origin, like several of his fellow cabinet-makers, Evald moved to Paris in the early 1760s. Established in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he was soon patronized by the Royal family and the Court, and his distinguished clientèle included the duc d'Orléans, the duc d'Aumont, the princesse de Chimay, the comtesse de Périgord, the marquise de Bussy, the comte de Narbonne and the duc de Fitz-James.
In 1769, he was commissioned by François-Joseph Bélanger, dessinateur des Menus-Plaisirs to execute a jewel cabinet presented by Louis XV to Marie-Antoinette on the occasion of her wedding to the future Louis XVI in 1770. Unlike the neo-classical style of the Royal serre-bijoux, Evald's production is characterized by its distinctive use of marquetry decoration, frequently covering the piece in its entirety. The compositions are usually of two types: flower garlands tied with ribbons or musical trophies, often incorporating violins or a harp. His short career ended when he disappeared in 1774, probably for financial reasons, leaving a number of unfinished marquetry pieces.
Evald took inspiration from engravings which is exemplified by the vases in marquetry to the sides of the secrétaire that are essentially identical to a vase published by Maurice Jacques in circa 1765 in a book of designs. A secretaire of virtually identical design by Evald is at Saltram, Devon (S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, London, 1974, fig. 140).