A fine pair of secrétaires à Abattant
Attributed to Alexandre-Louis Bellangé
Constructed in ebony, and dressed with two-color gold ormolu mounts, made with exceptional refinement, Florentine Pietra Dura panels (with colors of blue, red, orange and green), pewter inlay work and Portor marble tops. Each cabinet rising from oblate bun feet below the incurved, pewter line-inlaid lower tiers; the supporting circular columns have ormolu capitols engraved with trellis patterns; the friezes house spring released lockable mahogany lined drawers, each of which are faced with pairs of hardstone plaques, and extensive ormolu foliates. One cabinet has flanking ormolu female caryatids atop fluted columns, the other with torsade columns atop a fluted column; the fall-fronts have centrally sited hardstone plaques depicting bowls of fruit within an ormolu framework, and with ormolu ribband-tied foliates to the sides; the lockable fall-fronts open to Revel writing surfaces and fitted interior, with the four small drawers set about the central lockable drawer; the sides have further pewter line inlays enclosing centrally sited ormolu foliates; the Portor marble platforms sit upon the upper friezes of stiff- leaf and Vitruvian scrolls. One cabinet bearing an old circular paper label ‘110/1825/No 1176’.
French, dated 1823
Provenance
Most likely acquired by Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham...
Category
19th Century French Renaissance Antique Precious Stone Cabinets