Lot Essay
Bernard Molitor, maître in 1787.
Molitor (d. 1833) enjoyed the patronage of Louis XVI and was one of the few ébénistes to survive the upheavals of the revolution and indeed prosper during the Empire and Consulate with commissions for Napoleon's court. The bureau plat is a rare stamped piece, which displays the fashion for classical motifs paired with the sober elegance and rich veneers characteristic of Molitor's work during this period. The winged lion monopodia feature in a Percier and Fontaine pattern for 'Citoyenne V' from their Recueil de Décorations Intérieures (1801-12), pl. 17.
Molitor (d. 1833) enjoyed the patronage of Louis XVI and was one of the few ébénistes to survive the upheavals of the revolution and indeed prosper during the Empire and Consulate with commissions for Napoleon's court. The bureau plat is a rare stamped piece, which displays the fashion for classical motifs paired with the sober elegance and rich veneers characteristic of Molitor's work during this period. The winged lion monopodia feature in a Percier and Fontaine pattern for 'Citoyenne V' from their Recueil de Décorations Intérieures (1801-12), pl. 17.