BY MATTHAUS FUNK, BERN, CIRCA 1765

Matthäus Funk (1697-1783) was one of the most celebrated cabinet-makers from the German speaking regions. In 1706 his family moved from Frankfurt to Bern, Switzerland. With his two brothers, Johann Friedrich a carver and sculptor and Daniel Beat Ludwig, a watchmaker, he established an atelier which soon became a large and successful workshop in Bern. It is assumed that together they manufactured entire interiors. The commodes offered here are characteristic of Funk's long standing and most popular commode model started in the mid-18th century. These commodes with their slight variations were sought after by wealthy Swiss private and aristocratic clientele as they resembled in shape examples produced in France under the reign of Louis XV, and at the same time retained a strong German influence.

Comparable models are known and can be found in the comprehensive literature by H. von Fischer, FONCK A BERNE, Möbel und Ausstattungen der Kunsthandwerkfamilie Funk im 18 Jahrhundert in Bern, 2001, pp. 102-103, nos. 170,172,173,174.
Similar Herrnhuter Kleisterpapier paper lining is discussed and illustrated in Fonck a Berne, pp. 341-347.

Commodes attributed to Matthäus Funk with almost identical mounts and of a similar design were sold at Schloss Herblingen, Christie's Switzerland, 14-18 September 1998 (Sfr 26,680); and from the collections of the late Baron Fould Springer and Ceclie de Rothschild, Christie's Paris, 11 March 2003, lot 173 (Eur 35,250). A further example was sold at Sotheby's Zürich, 5 June 1996, lot 208 (Sfr 91,800) and a pair in these salerooms, Au Bord de la Mer & A Swiss Villa, 17 April 2013, lot 320 (GBP 61,875).