CIRCA 1820-1830, POSSIBLY BY LEVASSEUR JEUNE, THE BOULLE MARQUETRY TOP LOUIS XIV, LATE 17TH CENTURY, ATTRIBUTED TO GILLES-MARIE OPPENORDT

The re-use of Louis XIV elements, in particular highly valued Boulle marquetry, incorporating them into contemporary pieces of furniture was used in the late 18th century by celebrated ébénistes such as E. Levasseur and A. Weisweiler together with the Marchands Merciers Le Brun and Julliot who revived this technique. This fashion continued into the early 19th century led by cabinet makers such as Levasseur Jeune and the Bellangé family. A comparable bureau was previously in the Ashburnham collection, then in the Espirito Santo collection, while another similar bureau, by Adam Weisweiler, sold Sotheby's Monaco, 1 January 1995, lot 110.
Interestingly, the composition of the present top is extremely similar to the two tops of the bureaux previously discussed. With his strapwork design, the scrolling leaves and the corners with female busts, the Boulle marquetry of the present table relates to the work of the ebeniste ordinaire du Roi Gilles-Marie Oppenordt, probably based on a design by Jean Bérain (1640-1711), Dessinateur de la chambre et du cabinet du Roi.