BY BERNARD II VAN RISENBURGH ('BVRB'), CIRCA 1745-50

Bernard II van Risenburgh, maître in 1730.

With its superb ‘bois de bout’ marquetry and jewel-like ormolu mounts applied to an audacious and sinuous shape, this table à écrire is an outstanding example of the fine furnishings made by the celebrated ébéniste Bernard II van Risenburgh (‘BVRB’) when his career was fully matured. This desk belongs to a group of luxurious small-scale items of furniture developed by BVRB in the 1740s and destined for petits appartements or cabinets de retraite of wealthy and sophisticated patrons, such as the table à pupitre which was delivered in 1746 by the marchand-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hébert (1687-1773), for the cabinet de retraite of the dauphine Marie-Thérèse-Raphaëlle (1726-1746), at Versailles (inv. num. V6057).

Closely related tables à écrire stamped BVRB of similar shape, proportions and gilt-bronze ornementation include: one sold from The Alexander Collection, Christie's, New York, 30 April 1999, lot 106; one in the Fondation Jean-Louis Prévost, Geneva, see A. Nicoid, et. al., Mille Objets pour Genève, Un Patrimoine Enrichi, Geneva, 1989, cat. no. 33.; and another in the private collection of Jayne Wrightsman, sold Christie's New York, 14 October 2020, lot 41. Other related examples, all of which are stamped by BVRB but which may well duplicate some of the above include a table formerly in the collection of Madame Dubernet-Douine sold Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 11-12 April 1946, lot 141; another from the collection of Madame Louis Burat sold Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 17-18 June 1937, lot 142; and a third from the collection of Paul Dutasta sold Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 3-4 June 1926, lot 146.

BERNARD II VAN RISENBURGH

After receiving his maîtrise in 1730, BVRB worked almost exclusively for the important Parisian marchands-merciers of the mid-18th Century, such as Thomas-Joachim Hébert, Lazare Duvaux and Simon-Philippe Poirier. His collaboration with the foremost dealers allowed him to use ormolu mounts of exceptional quality, the funding of which would have been too expensive for any ébéniste working independently. Most mounts employed by BVRB are unique to his oeuvre, suggesting that he either designed his own mounts or retained a bronzier for his exclusive use. His mounts are further characterized by an impeccable ciselure and a consistency of quality throughout. These powerful and innovative dealers would have supplied BVRB with rich and exotic materials such as Japanese lacquer and Sèvres porcelain, which were then incorporated into his finest pieces and sold to the most prestigious clientèle. Although he is recorded to have collaborated with different marchands, thereby catering to their individual demands, he developed a highly personal and distinctive style which makes his oeuvre instantly recognisable. BVRB is also credited with reviving the great marquetry tradition of Louis XIV masters such as André-Charles Boulle, and especially the development of a particularly refined form of end-cut marquetry known as 'bois de bout' marquetry. This technique which he employed frequently is featured to the frieze of the present table.