Nicolas Sageot (1666-1731), maître in 1706.
First recorded in Paris in 1698, Sageot was based in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine and evidently rapidly expanded his business, as by 1711 he had 12,000 livres, almost all in stock-in-trade. The extensive nature of his business is revealed by the sale in 1720 to Léonard Prieur 'Marchand Mercier Grossier Joaillier Priviligié suivant la Cour' of 16,000 livres worth of furniture, consisting of a wide range of armoires, bureaux and commodes.
The top of this spectacular commode, decorated in première partie Boulle marquetry in brass, sumptuous red tortoiseshell and polished pewter, is typical of the ingenious inventiveness with which Sageot created ever new designs using the 'antique' and 'arabesque' engravings of Jean Bérain (d. 1711) as his main source. The overall form of the commode and in particular its marquetry relates it closely to another commode stamped by Sageot, previously in the collections of the Dukes of Newcastle and sold at Christie's, London, 16 December 1999, lot 50 (£287,500 with premium). Further closely related commodes include one from the collection of Barbara Piasecka Johnson, previously in the collection of the duchesse de Talleyrand, sold Sotheby's, New York, 21 May 1992, lot 69 ($385,000) and another from the collection of Gregory de Ligne Gregory at Harlaxton Manor, sold Christie's, London, 5 July 2012, lot 8 (£157,250).