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Lot Essay
This elegant console désserte, while not stamped, is characteristic of the oeuvre of Jean-Henri Riesener (maître in 1768) and certainly exemplifies his production of the 1780s. It is closely related to a console désserte stamped by the foremost ébéniste executed circa 1780-3, formerly in the J.Pierpont Morgan Collection, now in the Frick Collection (ill. in T. Dell, The Frick Collection, volume VI, Furniture and Gilt Bronzes, New York, 1992, pp.92-99). Of overall comparable proportions and arrangement, the present console features ormolu raie-de-coeur surrounds to its frieze, stiles and solid mahogany back, as well as an ovolo-cast pierced frieze to the lower platform, all of which are virtually identical to those on the Frick example.
A further element recurrent in the ébéniste's oeuvre is the rather distinctive escutcheon to the centre of the frieze. The perennial entrée de serrure appears regularly in Riesener's work and features namely on a petit secrétaire en cabinet illustrated in P.Kjellberg, le Mobilier Français du XVIIIème siècle, Dijon, 1998, p. 705.
It is interest to note that most of the signature constructional features in Riesener's oeuvre can be found on the present console. In addition to the selection of excellent quality mahogany veneers, these include an all-around impeccable construction, use of the finest chène de Hongrie or chène de Hollande as the constructional timbers of choice, as well as the application of yellow ochre to drawer linings for a smoother finish.
Amongst the related consoles sold at auction, a virtually identical example, featuring the marque au feu of the château de Scitivaux de Greische, France, was formerly in the collection of the Baronne S. de Gunzburg (sold 17 May 1912, lot 109 and again Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, 26 March 1971, lot 117) whilst a related pair of consoles stamped by the ébéniste was sold Sotheby's, Monaco, 18 June 1999, lot 88.
A further element recurrent in the ébéniste's oeuvre is the rather distinctive escutcheon to the centre of the frieze. The perennial entrée de serrure appears regularly in Riesener's work and features namely on a petit secrétaire en cabinet illustrated in P.Kjellberg, le Mobilier Français du XVIIIème siècle, Dijon, 1998, p. 705.
It is interest to note that most of the signature constructional features in Riesener's oeuvre can be found on the present console. In addition to the selection of excellent quality mahogany veneers, these include an all-around impeccable construction, use of the finest chène de Hongrie or chène de Hollande as the constructional timbers of choice, as well as the application of yellow ochre to drawer linings for a smoother finish.
Amongst the related consoles sold at auction, a virtually identical example, featuring the marque au feu of the château de Scitivaux de Greische, France, was formerly in the collection of the Baronne S. de Gunzburg (sold 17 May 1912, lot 109 and again Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, 26 March 1971, lot 117) whilst a related pair of consoles stamped by the ébéniste was sold Sotheby's, Monaco, 18 June 1999, lot 88.