Carved and gilded wood console, Louis XV period

"Ile de France" circa 1740
Dimensions : H. 83cm x W. 127 x D. 60,5 cm

This superb console is made of lime wood, richly carved and gilded. It is perfectly set on its two feet with volutes facing each other, which are joined by an important strut. The console is topped with its old grey/brown marble veined with white, restored but without any later part, which was most certainly extracted from Languedoc.
The façade, the sides and the crosspiece are worked with a multitude of openings, thanks to which the important sculpted masses remain visually aerial. In particular, the brace presents a magnificent openwork shell, a Louis XV version of the typical Regency decoration to which the sculptor has brought modernity by freeing himself from perfect symmetry, by opening up the motif and adding flowers. On the sides the movement that flares out towards the back allows a very elegant three quarter view. The central cartouche of the belt is imposing but respects the French classicism, rocaille in the middle of the 18th century: the exuberance of the curves and the sculpture does not alter the perfect balance and the proportions of this console.
Essential quality of this type of furniture, the sculpture is of great finesse. Deep, nervous and varied, it is covered with a beautiful gilding leaf, most of which is original. The structure of the furniture is sound, perfectly restored, and the decorative parts are also all original. This console has never been modified, nor enriched, and it is a rare model with a very beautiful decorative repertoire especially at the level of the end of the feet whose very original design allows to release the patterns of the floor by giving this console a lot of lightness.