Offered by Galerie Gilles Linossier
A rare Louis XV period convertible table, stamped by Jean-Pierre Latz, featuring kingwood veneer set against a satinwood ground and framed by amaranth stringing.
Its top, contoured on all sides, features a marquetry design centered on a ribbon-tied lyre, surrounded by scrolling foliage.
The quality of the design, the precision of the marquetry cutting and framing, and the elegant contrasts achieved through the use of kingwood, satinwood, boxwood, and amaranth all attest to craftsmanship of the highest order.
The lyre is a relatively uncommon motif for small pieces of furniture. Here, it evokes the era's appreciation for the arts as well as the table's intended function: it was designed for reading, writing, and music.
The satinwood apron, contoured on all four sides, is defined by a gracefully curved amaranth border.
It is supported by four strongly cabriole legs made of amaranth with chamfered satinwood edges, joined by a stretcher shelf.
The legs terminate in finely chased and openwork gilt-bronze sabots that wrap around the feet.
The piece is also notable for its ingenious, discreetly integrated convertible mechanism.
A sliding shelf beneath the tabletop reveals a leather-lined, adjustable reading/writing slope.
A side drawer contains a sliding compartment designed to hold an inkwell, an essential accessory for the daily use of this type of furniture.
The precision of the joinery and the quality of the concealed mechanisms found in these pieces, designed with secret compartments or convertible functions, exemplify the meticulous craftsmanship and ingenuity characteristic of the finest cabinetmakers.
This table is a superb example of the high-quality work produced by Jean-Pierre Latz in the mid-18th century. It displays the hallmarks of his finest creations: a graceful structure with perfectly balanced lines, exquisitely executed marquetry using precious veneers, and a mechanism designed to remain virtually invisible, never compromising the purity of the design.
Furniture bearing Latz’s stamp remains relatively rare. Many pieces were commissioned by a prominent aristocratic clientele, and several works comparable in both design and function are now held in the collections of the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Versailles, the Wallace Collection in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Convertible tables of this caliber, combining exceptionally fine marquetry, a complete and original transformation mechanism, and the stamp of Jean-Pierre Latz, are rare. They perfectly illustrate the evolution of Parisian furniture toward more specialized pieces designed for intimate use, while maintaining the superior level of craftsmanship reserved for the most prestigious commissions.
Furthermore, this piece is documented in two well-known books.
*Le mobilier français : Le meuble d'ébénisterie*, by Guillaume Janneau, Éditions de l'Amateur, 1993, page 75, entry and photograph no. 79
and
*Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle*, by Giacomo Wannenes, Bocca Editori, Milan, 1998, page 111, where it is noted that in 1984 it was valued at 373,000 francs.
Jean-Pierre Latz. Originally from Cologne and admitted as a master craftsman before 1738, Latz holds a pivotal place in the history of French cabinetmaking. His work is distinguished by remarkable inventiveness, evident in both the richness of the veneers and the complexity of his mechanical furniture.
Provenance:
Drouot, Paris, March 1, 1984; estimated at 373,000 francs.
Private collection, Switzerland.
Sotheby's, London, *Silver and Genoese Furniture from a Swiss Private Collection*, May 27, 2009, lot 12 (sold for £31,250).
Robbig Collection.
Dimensions: Height 66 x Width 55 cm x Depth 37 cm
