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Lot Essay
Simon Oeben, maître in 1769.
The younger brother of Jean-François Oeben, Simon Oeben took over his brother's workshop in the Gobelins as early as 1756, although he was not officially appointed as maître until 1769. Not many pieces are stamped by Simon Oeben, but his work is remarkable for its high level of craftsmanship. His close collaboration with his brother resulted in many parallels in their styles, and the floral marquetry of this refined piece is similar to Jean-François' earlier work, such as on a dressing table in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIè Siècle, Paris, 1989, p. 610. The side panel featuring an urn entwined with a snake is reminiscent of popular decorative arts in this transitional period, such as urn-form clocks with a snake telling the time and vases with twisted serpent handles.
The younger brother of Jean-François Oeben, Simon Oeben took over his brother's workshop in the Gobelins as early as 1756, although he was not officially appointed as maître until 1769. Not many pieces are stamped by Simon Oeben, but his work is remarkable for its high level of craftsmanship. His close collaboration with his brother resulted in many parallels in their styles, and the floral marquetry of this refined piece is similar to Jean-François' earlier work, such as on a dressing table in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIè Siècle, Paris, 1989, p. 610. The side panel featuring an urn entwined with a snake is reminiscent of popular decorative arts in this transitional period, such as urn-form clocks with a snake telling the time and vases with twisted serpent handles.