Commode by Delaitre and Migeon circa 1740

Rare chest of drawers in violet wood veneer, opening with four drawers on the front.
Trapezoidal-shaped model, with wide, very pronounced butts and finely arched feet that tap out on the way down.
It features a bright lattice veneer and end-grain butterfly wings.
The four drawers, without dividing rails, simulate two large drawers, with the judicious help of two-part lock entries.

Beautiful ornamentation of original rockwork bronzes, with particularly fine cold chasing.


Original double-molded Aleppo breccia marble top.

The four heads of the uprights stamped L.DELAITRE and MIGEON.

Parisian work from the beginning of the reign of Louis XV around 1740, carried out by Louis Delaitre, under the command of Pierre IV Migeon.

Dimensions:

Height: 83 cm; Width: 130 cm; Depth: 65.5 cm


For a Pierre Migeon chest of drawers with entrances and handles in "cut" bronzes:

-Sale Christie’s Paris April 14, 2015, lot 115

* Pierre IV Migeon (1696-1758) - cabinetmaker - mastery obtained around 1725: The most famous of his line, Pierre Migeon IV, cabinetmaker as well as merchant, stands out with furniture with a delicious blend of tradition and modernity.

* Louis Delaitre - Cabinetmaker Paris, Master November 19, 1738.

Our opinion :

With its symmetrical decor, the chest of drawers we are presenting still have a Regency style, but a few details, such as the braced handles or the thinness of the feet, clearly refer us to the nascent Louis XV style, that is to say in the 1740s. 1745.
The absence of the Jurande hallmark (appeared in 1751) and the crowned "C" (applied between 1745 and 1749) confirm our dating.
If at first glance, our chest of drawers can be confused with the standard models which will proliferate in the following decades, the collector's eye will see directly that it is a unique prototype, straight out of the imagination of Pierre Migeon. .
Indeed, the presence of four drawers in two rows, with an absence of a separation crosspiece, both vertical and horizontal, is extremely rare, as are the two-part keyholes, which we will only find on a few remarkable models of the famous merchant haberdasher.
The delicacy of the bronzes, the luxurious Aleppo breccia tray and end-grain veneer, ie "cut into slices of sausage", to highlight the rings of the wood, confirm the luxurious character desired by the two friends.
It is probably because of this remarkable character that the two masters, particularly proud of their achievement, took great care to attach their marks, each on their own, and side by side on a post.
Louis Delaitre was one of the most talented cabinetmakers of his time, but his asocial character closed him off any access to a particular clientele.
Only Pierre Migeon, as a great seasoned trader, knew how to make the most of the talents of his colleague, leaving him undoubtedly a lot of freedom.
Delaitre is with Jacques Dubois, one of the great architects of Migeon's success and of the success in the 1740s of his monochrome violet wood veneers which made his reputation.