BY EMMANUEL-ALFRED (DIT ALFRED II) BEURDELEY, PARIS, CIRCA 1870-1890, THE LACQUER PARTLY EDO-MEIJI PERIOD

This secrétaire à abattant is characteristic of the late 19th century production of Beurdeley which specialized in producing furniture and objects inspired by the Louis XVI models in the Garde-meuble national. Beurdeley is famed for the quality of its production and as evident in the finely cast ormolu, superb construction and delicately gilt-embossed lacquer panels every effort was made to replicate the work of the 18th century ébénistes du roi. This secrétaire borrows directly from the oeuvre of Adam Weisweiler. Compare the famous secrétaire en cabinet in the Wrightsman Collection with its basket bearing caryatid mounts, Japanese lacquer with aventurine and a loop stretcher (ill. D. O. Kisluk-Grosheide et. al, European Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Highlights of the Collection, New York, 2006, pp. 210-213 fig. 89). An apparently unsigned example of this model, with different lacquer panels, sold Christie's, London, 19 March 2008, lot 85 (£50,900).