Neoclassical rafraîchissoir-table stamped Joseph Canabas

A mahogany and mahogany veneer rafraîchissoir-table threaded with lemon tree, stamped Canabas. Square quadrilateral in shape, the top, or terrace, is made of veined turquoise-blue marble set in an emboîture; it features two receptacles lined with two removable silver-plated metal buckets. The flat belt with plates opens into an off-center drawer fitted with an ormolu rosette lens. The base is composed of four tapered legs, joined by two inter-leg shelves, ending in ormolu wheeled hooves. The stamp of Joseph Canabas is stamped on the underside of the waistband. Note the absence of the jurande, abolished in 1789/1790. The table rafraîchissoir we offer is an original neoclassical composition from the last quarter of the 18th century by Canabas, based on his own traditional model from the Transition period.
Dimensions: height 75.7cm, width 48.2cm
Joseph Canabas (1712-1797) was one of the most important Parisian cabinetmakers of the second half of the 18th century, and is considered the grand master of small mahogany furniture. Of German origin, he moved to Paris probably in the late 1730s or early 1780s, and married in 1745. He worked for a long time as a privileged worker on rue de Charonne, becoming a subcontractor to Jean-François Oeben and Pierre Migeon. After becoming a master in April 1766, he set up his workshop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine and rapidly expanded his business, building up a rich private clientele and collaborating with a number of leading merchants, including Bonnemain jeune and the Presle brothers. In 1769, at the time of his wife's death, the after-death inventory mentions numerous screens, tables of all types and mahogany guéridons; while in 1797 the sale organized after the cabinetmaker's death testifies to the prosperity of the workshop despite the revolutionary troubles; Described were "secretaries, chests of drawers, pedestal tables, desks, sliding and gliding tables, cylinder night tables, consoles, men's and women's toilets, chiffonnières, office armchairs and other objects, mostly in solid mahogany, decorated with copper and light woods in the best taste".