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Lot Essay
With its illusionistic pictorial marquetry of a bouquet of flowers issuing from a vase and flanked by trailing flower garlands, this elegant 'meuble d appui' or side cabinet relates to the luxurious marquetry furniture executed by a group of émigré cabinet-makers working in Paris in the third quarter of the 18th Century.
It derives from the oeuvre of Jean-François Oeben, whose skillfully rendered 'pictures in wood', using contrasting timbers, continued a tradition for marquetry furniture which André-Charles Boulle had taken to new heights. Oeben's floral marquetry decorating a side cabinet formerly with Galerie Perrin is closely related to that of this cabinet (exhibition catalogue, R. Strattmann-Dohler, 'Jean-François Oeben', Paris, 2002, p. 56, no. 45). Its delicate contrast of light flowers and dark leaves, appears similarly on both examples.
However, the construction of the present cabinet is made entirely of pine which suggests a North European, probably Swedish origin. Indeed, whilst many German craftsman, like Oeben, moved to Paris, others emigrated to Stockholm, where from the 1750s a sophisticated cabinet-making centre developed and luxurious marquetry furniture was produced to the highest standards, as seen here.
Amongst the most talented Stockholm cabinet-makers producing marquetry furniture in the French manner in the second half of the 18th Century were Johann Linning, Anders Lindelius, Johan Neijber, Nils Petter Stenstrom and obviously Georg Haupt, whose superb marquetry easily rivalled that of his Parisian counterparts (T. Sylven, Masternas Mobler, Stockholm, 1996, pp. 160-178).
It derives from the oeuvre of Jean-François Oeben, whose skillfully rendered 'pictures in wood', using contrasting timbers, continued a tradition for marquetry furniture which André-Charles Boulle had taken to new heights. Oeben's floral marquetry decorating a side cabinet formerly with Galerie Perrin is closely related to that of this cabinet (exhibition catalogue, R. Strattmann-Dohler, 'Jean-François Oeben', Paris, 2002, p. 56, no. 45). Its delicate contrast of light flowers and dark leaves, appears similarly on both examples.
However, the construction of the present cabinet is made entirely of pine which suggests a North European, probably Swedish origin. Indeed, whilst many German craftsman, like Oeben, moved to Paris, others emigrated to Stockholm, where from the 1750s a sophisticated cabinet-making centre developed and luxurious marquetry furniture was produced to the highest standards, as seen here.
Amongst the most talented Stockholm cabinet-makers producing marquetry furniture in the French manner in the second half of the 18th Century were Johann Linning, Anders Lindelius, Johan Neijber, Nils Petter Stenstrom and obviously Georg Haupt, whose superb marquetry easily rivalled that of his Parisian counterparts (T. Sylven, Masternas Mobler, Stockholm, 1996, pp. 160-178).