Antique Louis XV Revival Ormolu Mounted Marquetry Commode, 1920s

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Antique Louis XV Revival Ormolu Mounted Marquetry Commode, 1920s

About the Item

This is a beautiful antique French Louis XV Revival amaranth ormolu mounted commode, in the manner of Leonard Boudin, dating from the early 20th Century. The two drawer commode with its fabulous rouge veined marble top features elaborate foliate and floral marquetry decoration and is further complimented by the exquisite gilded ormolu mounts that retain their original gilding. The commode is raised on cabriole legs that terminate in decorative ormolu sabots. A lot of intricate workmanship has gone into the creation of this wonderful commode. Condition: In really excellent condition having only been beautifully cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 86 x width 134 x depth 57 Dimensions in inches: Height 2 foot, 10 inches x width 4 foot, 5 inches x depth 1 foot, 10 inches Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, mother of pearl, pewter, brass silver or shell) 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 shell and brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs. Ormolu - Gilt Bronze (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. After around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury other techniques were used instead. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt. Léonard BOUDIN was born in 1735 and raised in a working class family. He started as an apprentice to work with Pierre Migeon and then specialized in Chinese lacquer as well as in floral marquetry. He worked for famous aristocrats such as the Duchess of ARENBERG, Charles François LEBRUN (former minister of Louis XV). Because of the French Revolution, BOUDIN lost his aristocratic clients. As a consequence, he quit his job as a cabinet maker and began to work as a decorator until his death in 1807.

Dimensions:
Height: 33.86 in (86 cm)Width: 52.76 in (134 cm)Depth: 22.45 in (57 cm)
Style:
Louis XV (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Marble,Ormolu,Wood,Marquetry
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1920-1929
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1920
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A17251stDibs: LU950623039132