Sale 6672, Lot 240 By Jean-Pierre Latz A Louis XV ormolu-mounted amaranth, tulipwood and marquetry table à la Bourgogne Estimate: £250,000-400,000	Ingenious French furniture and rare Chinese porcelain are typical of Dr Dreesmann's rich and varied collection. The crucial role played by the Parisian marchands merciers in the mid- and late-18th-century art market is well documented. The most celebrated - such as Thomas-Joachim Hérbert, Lazare Duvaux, Simon-Phillipe Poirier and Dominique Daguerre - were responsible for the creation of some of the century's most luxurious works of art. Because the central position of architects and designers in the realization of architectural interiors also encompassed their furnishings, marchands merciers specialized in small, portable pieces combining sophistication and charm. Often multi-purpose and displaying unusual and rare materials such as lacquer or porcelain, these pieces were designed to appeal to the passion for novelty and amusement, and were perfectly adapted for use in intimate private cabinets. Acquired over more than forty years of collecting, the Dreesmann Collection is particularly rich in these marchands merciers pieces - and, like their 18th-century patrons, Dr Dreesmann was perhaps captivated by the ingenuity with which the marchands merciers contrived to combine different elements and functions. The ébeniste Jean-Pierre Latz specialized in mechanical furniture. The Louis XV table à la Bourgogne is a superb example of his technical skill, with its pop-up nest of drawers, sinuous profile and floral marquetry, particularly the charming gardening trophy of the top. As well as his stamp it bears the brand of the château de Sceaux, where it is recorded in the inventory drawn up in 1793 after the death of the saintly duc de Penthièvre. It is likely to have been commissioned by his mother, Marie-Victoire-Sophie de Noailles, duchesse de Penthièvre before 1756. Roger van der Cruse, known as Lacroix (RVLC), was another ébeniste who worked extensively for the marchands merciers. Dr Dreesmann's collection includes a number of examples of his work. Among the most striking is a small bureau de dame, entirely inlaid with very distinctive pictorial marquetry of figures and buildings on a pale ground, which brilliantly imitates in colored woods the yellow-ground vernis (fond jonquille), another novelty introduced by the marchands merciers. One of its interior drawers is inscribed in ink with the name of Simon-Philippe Poirier, almost certainly when the drawer was sent by Poirier to be fitted with its silvered inkwell and sander. The unusual Louis XV marquetry guéridon, also by RVLC, illustrates the portable, multi-purpose pieces the marchands merciers retailed with such success. With its unusual lobed triangular tiers, shallow well and three slides, it is an intriguing example. Dr Dreesmann's interest in meubles à transformation runs through the wide spectrum of his collection, ranging from the luxuriously elaborate to the elegantly simple. Amassed with an extremely knowledgeable and discerning eye, his collection of Chinese porcelain, predominantly 18th century, is remarkable for its variety and high quality. Much of it is Chinese export ware, some extremely rare, and in a few cases unique. Among the rare pieces are three interpretations of a Dutchman seated on a gin flask - one Chinese, one Japanese and one Dutch Delft. European-subject examples are very well represented in Dr Dreesmann's collection, and include types which have not appeared on the market in recent years. There is a small selection of rare single figures and figural groups, plus a relatively large selection of finely potted and enameled teabowls and saucers - some with very rare, possibly unique decorative schemes - which will be offered singly. In addition, the Dreesmann Collection includes a small number of 'Chinese Taste' plates and dishes from the Yongzheng reign (1723-35). Extremely finely potted and enameled, these may be compared in quality with wares made for the Chinese Imperial court. As with so much else he touched, the porcelains in Dr Dreesmann's collection provide a rare treat for connoisseurs and collectors. Charles Cator is Chairman of Christie's International U.K. Ltd. Back to top