MID-18TH CENTURY

THESE ELEGANT COMMODES ARE INSPIRED BY THE FASHIONABLE MID-18TH CENTURY ROCOCO STYLE DEVELOPED IN PARIS. CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS STYLE ARE THE FOLIATE-CAST AND ROCAILLE CHUTES D'ANGLES, THE SERPENTINE-FRONTED OUTLINE AND THE MARQUETRY-INLAID CARTOUCHES. THESE COMMODES NEVERTHELESS FEATURE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS WHICH POINT MORE CONCLUSIVELY TO A MID-18TH CENTURY PORTUGUESE ROCOCO PRODUCTION. SUCH FEATURES INCLUDE THE ROBUST CONSTRUCTION AND IMPOSING CABRIOLE LEGS MADE OF SOLID ROSEWOOD, THE BOMBé SHAPE AND NAïVE MARQUETRY PANELS DEPICTING BATTLE SCENES AND SET WITHIN FOLIATE-SCROLLED CARTOUCHES WITH CANOPIES. FURTHERMORE, THESE COMMODES ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO A COMMODE IN THE QUEEN'S DRESSING ROOM IN THE PALACE OF QUELUZ, LISBON, PROBABLY ACQUIRED AT THE TIME OF PRINCE DOM PEDRO'S MARRIAGE IN 1760 TO PRINCESS DONNA MARIA FRANCESCA (M.I. FERRO, QUELUZ, THE PALACE AND GARDENS, LONDON, 1997, P. 88). FURTHER RELATED COMMODES INCLUDE A PAIR, SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S, LONDON, 2 DECEMBER 1998, LOT 50 (£221,500), AND MORE RECENTLY, A PAIR OF COMMODES, OFFERED AT CHRISTIE'S, LONDON, 7 JULY 2005, LOT 542.