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Antique French Louis Revival Marquetry Commode Chest of Drawers 19th Century

About the Item

This is a stunning antique French Louis Revival marquetry and ormolu mounted wood serpentine commode, circa 1880 in date. The serpentine top with a moulded edge over three long drawers and a shaped apron, on tapered slightly outswept legs, with foliate and floral marquetry decoration throughout and mounted with ormolu mounts It was crafted from the most beautiful wood with decorative hand cut floral marquetry decoration, has oak lined drawers, the most wonderful gilt ormolu mounts, handles and escutcheons. A truly gorgeous piece, this commode deserves pride of place in any furniture collection. With working locks and original key. Condition: In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 86 x Width 90 x Depth 44 Dimensions in inches: Height 2 foot, 10 inches x Width 2 foot, 11 inches x Depth 1 foot, 5 inches Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'. The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object. No true ormolu was produced in France after around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of colour. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil). Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, pewter, brass silver) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers. The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique. Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs. Our reference: A3166.

Dimensions:

Height: 33.86 in (86 cm)Width: 35.44 in (90 cm)Depth: 17.33 in (44 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Ormolu,Wood,Marquetry

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

1880-1889

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1880

Condition:

Seller Location: