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Lot Essay
The 'C' couronné poiçnon was a tax mark applied to alloys containing copper in France, between March 1745 and February 1749.
This commode, with its elaborately scrolled mounts and fine bois-de-bout marquetry, is related to models by the celebrated ébéniste Jacques-Philippe Carel (maître in 1723). These include two commodes in the Frick Collection, New York (T. Dell, Furniture in the Frick Collection, Princeton, 1992, vol. V, pp. 270-281); one formerly with Partridge, London, 1996; and one from the Wildenstein Collection, formerly in the collection of the French Rothschilds, sold Christie’s, London, 14-15 December 2005, lot 360. According to Dell, all these commodes by Carel belong to an extensive group almost certainly executed for the same marchand-mercier, who appears to have owned the model for the mounts, of which the earliest were supplied between 1745-1749, as they are also stamped with the 'C' couronné poiçnon. Although the marchand remains unidentified, the ébénistes employed included J.-P. Latz, Pierre II Migeon, M.-E. L’Hermite, H. Hansen, J.-F. Dubois, M. Criaerd and L. Boudin. Interestingly, both Migeon, Criaerd and Boudin were all active both as ébénistes and marchands. Another model by Carel, of slightly smaller size, but with a comparable central cartouche mount across both drawers, was offered at Marc-Arthur Kohn, Paris, 12 June 1996, lot 74.
A nearly identical commode, and possibly the pair to the present commode, was with Albrecht Neuhaus, Würzburg, in 2001, having previously been sold at Sotheby’s, London, 16 December 1998, lot 148; prior to that it was with Partridge, London, 1989 and had earlier been sold at Christie’s, London, 23 June 1988, lot 104. Whilst the mounts to the sides of each commode are slightly different, they follow exactly the same line determined by the marquetry panels and have remarkably similar (albeit restored to both examples) bois-de-bout floral marquetry. The latter commode also bore later stamps for ‘I. DUBOIS’ and an interlaced L brand, but presumably was originally unstamped, as in the case of the present commode.
This commode, with its elaborately scrolled mounts and fine bois-de-bout marquetry, is related to models by the celebrated ébéniste Jacques-Philippe Carel (maître in 1723). These include two commodes in the Frick Collection, New York (T. Dell, Furniture in the Frick Collection, Princeton, 1992, vol. V, pp. 270-281); one formerly with Partridge, London, 1996; and one from the Wildenstein Collection, formerly in the collection of the French Rothschilds, sold Christie’s, London, 14-15 December 2005, lot 360. According to Dell, all these commodes by Carel belong to an extensive group almost certainly executed for the same marchand-mercier, who appears to have owned the model for the mounts, of which the earliest were supplied between 1745-1749, as they are also stamped with the 'C' couronné poiçnon. Although the marchand remains unidentified, the ébénistes employed included J.-P. Latz, Pierre II Migeon, M.-E. L’Hermite, H. Hansen, J.-F. Dubois, M. Criaerd and L. Boudin. Interestingly, both Migeon, Criaerd and Boudin were all active both as ébénistes and marchands. Another model by Carel, of slightly smaller size, but with a comparable central cartouche mount across both drawers, was offered at Marc-Arthur Kohn, Paris, 12 June 1996, lot 74.
A nearly identical commode, and possibly the pair to the present commode, was with Albrecht Neuhaus, Würzburg, in 2001, having previously been sold at Sotheby’s, London, 16 December 1998, lot 148; prior to that it was with Partridge, London, 1989 and had earlier been sold at Christie’s, London, 23 June 1988, lot 104. Whilst the mounts to the sides of each commode are slightly different, they follow exactly the same line determined by the marquetry panels and have remarkably similar (albeit restored to both examples) bois-de-bout floral marquetry. The latter commode also bore later stamps for ‘I. DUBOIS’ and an interlaced L brand, but presumably was originally unstamped, as in the case of the present commode.