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Lot Essay
François Garnier, maître in 1742.
The 'C' couronné poinçon was a tax mark employed on any alloy containing copper between March 1745 and February 1749.
François Garnier (d. 1760), Parisian ‘maître et marchand ébéniste’ and father of the celebrated Pierre Garnier (maître in 1742), was one of the leading Parisian ébénistes of the Louis XV period, creating furniture of exemplary craftsmanship from his substantial workshop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The present commode, which depicts occidental courtiers on a horse-drawn carriage, typifies the fashion for furniture mounted with exotic and rare lacquer which was controlled by the marchand-merciers. Garnier’s collaboration with the marchands is well-documented, supplying furniture to Michel Héceguerre, Anjubaut and Nicolas Héricourt among others (C. Huchet de Quénetain, ‘The origin of a Parisian dynasty of craftsmen and artists: François Garnier (d. 1760) maître menuisier- ébéniste, Furniture History Society, vol. XLVIII, 2012, pp. 117-118). His collaboration with Parisian luxury dealers may explain his use of two different stamps, his initialed stamp ‘F. GARNIER’ and the 'F.G.’ stamp which appears three times on present commode. Holding the title of ‘maître et marchand ébéniste’, Garnier was not excessively dependent on the clientele of the Parisian marchands. It is possible, therefore, that he used the 'F.G.’ stamp to denote furniture from his workshop retailed by another dealer, reserving the 'F. GARNIER’ stamp for when he acted as marchand.
A closely related commode in black lacquer, with identical pierced chute mounts also struck with the 'C' couronné poinçon and stamped ‘F. GARNIER’, was sold from the de Trafford Collection, Christie’s London, 3 March 1994, lot 165. A related commode, stamped ‘F. G.’ sold from the Keck Collection, Sotheby's New York, 4 December 1991, lot 254.
The 'C' couronné poinçon was a tax mark employed on any alloy containing copper between March 1745 and February 1749.
François Garnier (d. 1760), Parisian ‘maître et marchand ébéniste’ and father of the celebrated Pierre Garnier (maître in 1742), was one of the leading Parisian ébénistes of the Louis XV period, creating furniture of exemplary craftsmanship from his substantial workshop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The present commode, which depicts occidental courtiers on a horse-drawn carriage, typifies the fashion for furniture mounted with exotic and rare lacquer which was controlled by the marchand-merciers. Garnier’s collaboration with the marchands is well-documented, supplying furniture to Michel Héceguerre, Anjubaut and Nicolas Héricourt among others (C. Huchet de Quénetain, ‘The origin of a Parisian dynasty of craftsmen and artists: François Garnier (d. 1760) maître menuisier- ébéniste, Furniture History Society, vol. XLVIII, 2012, pp. 117-118). His collaboration with Parisian luxury dealers may explain his use of two different stamps, his initialed stamp ‘F. GARNIER’ and the 'F.G.’ stamp which appears three times on present commode. Holding the title of ‘maître et marchand ébéniste’, Garnier was not excessively dependent on the clientele of the Parisian marchands. It is possible, therefore, that he used the 'F.G.’ stamp to denote furniture from his workshop retailed by another dealer, reserving the 'F. GARNIER’ stamp for when he acted as marchand.
A closely related commode in black lacquer, with identical pierced chute mounts also struck with the 'C' couronné poinçon and stamped ‘F. GARNIER’, was sold from the de Trafford Collection, Christie’s London, 3 March 1994, lot 165. A related commode, stamped ‘F. G.’ sold from the Keck Collection, Sotheby's New York, 4 December 1991, lot 254.