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Lot Essay
Charles Erdman Richter, maître in 1784.
The stamp of Charles Erdman Richter is often associated with that of Jean-Henri Riesener. A number of pieces are known carrying the stamp of both ébénistes, which were probably sub-contracted by Riesener to Richter to complete in his workshop. Examples include a Louis XVI mahogany commode, sold Christie's, New York, 24 September 1998, lot 61; a Louis XVI mahogany secrétaire à abattant, sold Christie's, New York, 21 May 1997, lot 625 and a commode sold from Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 30 May 1951, lot 5.
Richter had an illustrious clientèle, including the Count of Provence (Louis XVI’s brother, who in 1814 was crowned Louis XVIII), and the majority of his furniture was worked in mahogany with restrained ormolu mounts, as seen on this bureau and a small Louis XVI meuble d’appui with double doors, now in the Jones Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. He also produced furniture with fine marquetry, such as a Louis XVI secrétaire inlaid with panels featuring a vase of flowers and floral bouquets (P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français de XVIIIe Siècle, 1989, p. 693).
The stamp of Charles Erdman Richter is often associated with that of Jean-Henri Riesener. A number of pieces are known carrying the stamp of both ébénistes, which were probably sub-contracted by Riesener to Richter to complete in his workshop. Examples include a Louis XVI mahogany commode, sold Christie's, New York, 24 September 1998, lot 61; a Louis XVI mahogany secrétaire à abattant, sold Christie's, New York, 21 May 1997, lot 625 and a commode sold from Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 30 May 1951, lot 5.
Richter had an illustrious clientèle, including the Count of Provence (Louis XVI’s brother, who in 1814 was crowned Louis XVIII), and the majority of his furniture was worked in mahogany with restrained ormolu mounts, as seen on this bureau and a small Louis XVI meuble d’appui with double doors, now in the Jones Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. He also produced furniture with fine marquetry, such as a Louis XVI secrétaire inlaid with panels featuring a vase of flowers and floral bouquets (P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français de XVIIIe Siècle, 1989, p. 693).