Offered by Franck Baptiste Provence
Beautiful little chest of drawers in satin veneer inlaid with rosewood end-grain* flowers.
Curved model on the front and on the sides, opening with two drawers without crossbar.
Very beautiful floral decoration in reserves on the drawers and the side panels.
Rich ornamentation of original bronzes, decorated with asymmetrical rocailles including crowned "C" entrances*, handles in braces, falls, toe stops and slippers.
Original marble top with double moldings, "Campan grand mélange" type. (restorations)
Oak background.
Very good state of preservation.
Parisian work from the Louis XV period around 1750/1755 by Pierre IV Migeon.
Dimensions:
Width: 98cm; Depth: 47cm; Height: 82cm
Our opinion :
Our chest of drawers has an opulent form, and is adorned with precious wood veneer and inlays with floral decoration, which are characteristic of the 1750s.
These years mark the height of the Louis XV rococo style, which will gradually be tempered by the discoveries resulting from the excavations of the great ancient site of Pompeii, which will initiate, from the 1760s, the emergence of the neoclassical style.
The rococo bronzes still very asymmetrical, the presence of the punch of Jurande (1751), and the crowned "C" on the two keyholes (1745-1749) allow us incontestably to date it from the very first years of the decades 1750/1760 .
Our dresser which perfectly reflects the "Migeon" taste (curves, geometric curling of precious wood and inlay of flowers) bears several stamps of the master and two hallmarks of Jurande which means that our cabinetmaker who was also one of the greatest haberdashers in Paris resold the dresser several times.
Each passage requiring the affixing of the tax in force.
*Bout wood: In carpentry or marquetry, end wood corresponds to the cutting of a section of wood into a roundel giving a pattern of veins of equal spacing.
The end grain is therefore sawn perpendicular to the grain or to the fibres, or cut transversely in the log. The section is said to be end grain, as opposed to the grain grain cut.
*The crowned C hallmark is a mark affixed to all bronze works between March 1745 and February 1749.
This is a tax to finance the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748).
*Pierre IV Migeon (1696-1758) is a cabinetmaker and haberdasher received master in Paris around 1725.
Coming from a family of cabinetmakers, all named Pierre, Pierre IV Migeon is the son of Pierre III Migeon and Judith Mesureur. Fourth in his line, he alone arouses all the interest of amateurs. Probably trained in the factory of his father or his father-in-law, his activity took place in the first half of the 18th century when the use of the stamp became widespread. If his date of mastery remains hypothetical, his fame is known by many signed pieces of furniture, made from his factory in the rue de Charenton. These are delivered to a wealthy aristocratic clientele, including the Duke of Orléans, the Duchess of Rohan, the Duchess of Epernon, the Marshal of Noailles, but also several bishops and ambassadors. From the 1740s, he delivered works for the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne and the Menus-Plaisirs. He enjoys the protection of the Marquise de Pompadour. He also has many clients in France and abroad. If Migeon's profession is that of cabinetmaker, he also works as a merchant. He then collaborated with many cabinetmakers - among the most renowned of his time - such as Bircklé, Canabas, Criaerd, Jacques Dubois, Lacroix, Saunier or even Topino.
Bibliography:
- Sophie Mouquin: "Pierre IV Migeon, 1696-1758, at the heart of a dynasty of Parisian cabinetmakers", Paris, Editions de l'Amateur, collection Les Cahiers du Mobilier, 2001
