Louis XV Chest of Drawers, France, 1730s

Description

Louis xv chest of drawers with fire-gilt fittings

france (paris)
rosewood
louis xv around 1730

dimensions: h x w x … more Louis xv chest of drawers with fire-gilt fittings

france (paris)
rosewood
louis xv around 1730

dimensions: h x w x d: 85 x 137 x 66 cm

:
early louis xv commode, so-called commode en tombeau, with heavy bronze mounts.

the corpus with four drawers in three rows is heavily moved on all sides. The brass strips set into the crosspieces continue in the upper section onto the sides, dividing the body into two sections. This division is further emphasised by the cambering on the sides, the drawer dividers on the front and the figural pilaster strip fittings.

the rosewood veneer runs cosequently diagonally or diamond-shaped to each other on all surfaces. This arrangement creates a beautiful symmetry in the furniture and also emphasises the flatness of the drawer fronts and the two-part sides.

the shape of the finely veined, loosely applied marble rouge top with hand-bevelled rear edge follows the contours of the body.

the lavish, heavy fittings of the highest quality are impressive and characterise the cabinet's character. The original fire gilding has been cleaned and contrasts beautifully with the wood.

as a trained cabinetmaker, i am particularly impressed by the strong curves, the so-called crowning, of the wood. The movement of the surfaces is not only vertical, but also horizontal. On the one hand, this requires a good imagination when designing and drawing the furniture and, on the other hand, the highest level of craftsmanship in production.

the rich hardware and the brass strips embedded in the wood still speak the language of the regence period, i.e. The early 18th century. The fact that the furniture is not stamped is evidence that it was made before 1743, the year in which the guilds introduced compulsory stamping.
furniture of this type was made by the great masters of the time. Proven pieces exist, for example, by antoine criaerd and pierre migeon (1696-1758).

condition: very authentic condition with naturally grown colour of the wood. The fittings have been cleaned, the original fire gilding is preserved.

comparable objects can be found in the specialised literature:
kjellberg - le mobilier francais du xviiie siecle p. 244 and 618 less