Offered by Galerie Delvaille
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French furniture of the 18th century & French figurative paintings
Half Moon Dresser
Stamped Roger Lacroix (1728-1799)
Louis XVI period
Rare half-moon commode in satin, rosewood, amaranth and boxwood inlay. On the front, the dresser opens in the lower part with two drawers without cross, separated from the upper drawer by a beautiful rush of chiseled and gilded bronze. On each convex side, this chest opens with a door and a pivoting drawer, separated by the same rod.
We find in every detail the millimeter precision of Roger Lacroix, who signed here a refined piece but of exceptional quality.
Roger Vandercruse or La Croix: Received master in 1755, Roger Vandercruse by his Flemish surname is, with Jean-Henri Riesener and Jean-François Oeben, one of the most famous cabinetmakers of the second half of the 18th century French. He worked for the Parisian nobility and supplied the Duke of Orleans, Madame du Barry, King Louis XVI and the court in general. His furniture, beautifully inlaid, had more often a decorative purpose than utility. He signed R.V.L.C
We find a large quantity of his works in the largest museums in the world, in the Metropolitan of New York, in the Frick Collection, in the Nissim-de-Camondo museum, in the Decorative Arts in Paris, in the Palace of Versailles, etc.
Neoclassical marquetry: For this chest of drawers, the decorative principle adopted by La Croix is rigorous and systematic. Beautiful sheets of rosewood are presented in a triple frame, whether for doors or drawers. Large strips of amaranth in wire veneer, frame reserves worked in perpendicular wire, which are themselves separated from the rosewood leaves by a thinner strip of amaranth forming double Greek at the corners. The contrast between dark amaranth and light rosewood is enhanced by a hint of boxwood.
The four uprights protrude and slightly swollen: they are extended by tapered and round feet, veneered with rosewood. At the level of the drawers and the doors, the uprights are plated with amaranth, framing satin reserves surrounded by boxwood nets.
The quality of the ornamentation of the bronzes is like the marquetry. Sober, but exceptionally precise. The perfectly round clogs and rings model will be followed by Jean François Oeben and Charles Topino.
Finally, note the marble top in Breche d'Alep, the Nec plus Ultra of the time, much more refined than the white or gray that we used for a lower clientele in the aristocracy.
