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Lot Essay
Simon Oeben, maître in 1769
This superb commode 'à la grecque', revealing a nascent neo-classicism with its distinctive breakfront form and elegant veneers in bois satiné imitating shimmering silk, was a form developed around 1760 and almost exclusively supplied by Jean-François and his brother Simon Oeben to two clients: the duc de Choiseul and Madame de Pompadour.
In the inventory drawn up following Madame de Pompadour's death in 1764, no less than 17 commodes à la grecque are recorded, both in mahogany and bois satiné, all supplied by Oeben between 1761-3 for the châteaux de Versailles, Auvilliers and Ménars. A common feature of this model of commode is the central locking mechanism of the frieze drawers with concealed drawers to the side.
Both Jean-François and Simon also supplied extensive amounts of furniture to the duc de Choiseul, including commodes à la grecque, both for the château de Chanteloup and his Parisian hôtel, including a secretaire by Jean-François, now in the Louvre, which featured a similar herringbone pattern of bois satiné veneers in imitation of silk (illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ebénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 262).
This superb commode 'à la grecque', revealing a nascent neo-classicism with its distinctive breakfront form and elegant veneers in bois satiné imitating shimmering silk, was a form developed around 1760 and almost exclusively supplied by Jean-François and his brother Simon Oeben to two clients: the duc de Choiseul and Madame de Pompadour.
In the inventory drawn up following Madame de Pompadour's death in 1764, no less than 17 commodes à la grecque are recorded, both in mahogany and bois satiné, all supplied by Oeben between 1761-3 for the châteaux de Versailles, Auvilliers and Ménars. A common feature of this model of commode is the central locking mechanism of the frieze drawers with concealed drawers to the side.
Both Jean-François and Simon also supplied extensive amounts of furniture to the duc de Choiseul, including commodes à la grecque, both for the château de Chanteloup and his Parisian hôtel, including a secretaire by Jean-François, now in the Louvre, which featured a similar herringbone pattern of bois satiné veneers in imitation of silk (illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ebénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 262).