BY MAISON MILLET, PARIS, LATE 19TH CENTURY

Details

A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED KINGWOOD AND BOIS SATINE PARQUETRY BUREAU AU ROGNON
BY MAISON MILLET, PARIS, LATE 19TH CENTURY
The kidney-shaped case surmounted by a putto above a circular clock-case, four drawers and central shelf, over a brown leather writing slide, the angles each with a cloudborne putti supporting twin-light candelabra, above three frieze drawers, on slight cabriole legs headed with busts, the mounts variously incised 'MB', electrified
55 in. (140 cm.) high, 45 in. (115 cm.) wide, 24 in. (61 cm.) deep

Special notice

Please note lots marked with a square will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) on the last day of the sale. Lots are not available for collection at Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services until after the third business day following the sale. All lots will be stored free of charge for 30 days from the auction date at Christie’s Rockefeller Center or Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Operation hours for collection from either location are from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday-Friday. After 30 days from the auction date property may be moved at Christie’s discretion. Please contact Post-Sale Services to confirm the location of your property prior to collection. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. Lots made of or including (regardless of the percentage) endangered and other protected species of wildlife are marked with the symbol ~ in the catalogue. This material includes, among other things, ivory, tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, rhinoceros horn, whalebone certain species of coral, and Brazilian rosewood. You should check the relevant customs laws and regulations before bidding on any lot containing wildlife material if you plan to import the lot into another country. Several countries refuse to allow you to import property containing these materials, and some other countries require a licence from the relevant regulatory agencies in the countries of exportation as well as importation. In some cases, the lot can only be shipped with an independent scientific confirmation of species and/or age, and you will need to obtain these at your own cost.

Lot Essay

The present distinctive bureau of Louis XV inspiration, can be firmly attributed to Maison Millet by comparison to closely related examples which have sold Christie's East, New York, 13 December 1983, lot 427; Christie's New York, October 24, 2006, lot 474 and Sotheby’s, New York, 19 April 2012, lot 106. The present bureau is an especially nice example distinguished by the candelabra supported by cherubs.

The Maison Millet, established by Blaise Millet in 1857, was first located at 11, rue Jacques-Coeur, Paris, then moved to 23, Boulevard Beaumarchais in 1902. Specialising in ‘meubles et bronzes d'art, genre ancien et moderne’, mainly copies of French 18th century models, Maison Millet was awarded many medals such as the 1889 Exposition Universelle Gold Medal, a Grand prix in 1900 and three Diplômes d'Honneur. In 1902, Millet was authorised by the curator of the Palais de Versailles to replicate Queen Marie-Antoinette's celebrated 'Grand cabinet bijoux'. An auction of their stock was held in 1906 and the firm finally ceased trading in 1918.

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