Louis XV period sauteuse commode, stamped Delorme, lacquered in the Japanese manner

Sauteuse commode in Japanese-style lacquer.
It rests on four cabriole legs and opens at the front with two drawers with concealed rails. The front is richly decorated with a large cartouche formed by foliage and scrollwork.
The commode is surmounted by a molded Rouge de Belgique marble top with a bec-de-corbin edge following the contours of the piece.
Louis XV period
H. 81 × W. 97 × D. 54 cm
Condition consistent with age and use.
Eldest son of François Delorme (1691–1768) — established on Rue Tiquetonne and specializing in furniture decorated with Chinese lacquer or varnish “in the Chinese manner” — Adrien Delorme came from a family of craftsmen whose original family name was Faizelot. Established on Rue du Temple, he worked there as a furniture maker and dealer. In August 1768, he was elected juré of the community of menuisiers-ébénistes. Contemporary almanacs described him as “one of the most skilled and renowned for marquetry work.” His two brothers were also cabinetmakers: Jean-Louis Delorme (master in 1763), who specialized in the restoration and resale of Boulle furniture, and Alexis (master in 1772), who devoted himself to the furniture trade on Rue Saint-Denis.
His work — which demonstrates great inventiveness — is characterized primarily by curved commodes made in the Louis XV style. In addition to commodes, Delorme also produced corner cabinets, armoires, bookcases, and desks, which he decorated with Chinese or Japanese lacquer, European varnishes, or floral and geometric marquetry. These compositions were often completed by frames of sinuous scrollwork. Set against a ground of chevron-patterned veneers in strongly contrasting tones, these scrolls became one of Adrien Delorme’s favorite decorative devices. Among the cabinetmaker’s characteristic motifs are also a rectangular reserve inlaid with a lattice pattern surrounded by a triple row of frames with interlaced corners, as well as a star-shaped arrangement of plain veneers.
Adrien Delorme decided to cease his activity in 1783 and dispersed his stock at auction, where the catalogue listed “quantities of commodes, corner pieces, paper cabinets and desks, adorned with gilt bronze mounts, with marble and alabaster tops.”