Offered by Antiquités Philippe Glédel
18th Furniture, country french furniture
Rare and precious Louis XV period small flat desk, curved on all sides, veneered with rosewood with inlaid branches of holly, hornbeam (shaded or tinted green) and barberry on a rosewood background in violet wood frames.
Its moving tray is darkened with a full grain morocco (gold color) embossed and gilded with small irons bordered by a violet wood veneer with rosewood frames, all hemmed with a bronze molding with four chased and gilded spandrels. This desk opens with three drawers in front and two side pulls, the opposite side and the belts of the sides simulating drawers similarly inlaid with flowers. It rests on elegantly arched legs adorned with long openwork bronze corner falls, remarkably well chiseled and linked by a fine angle iron to delicate slipper shoes.
The entire frame of the furniture is in oak.
This desk, coming from a former Millon sale, was formerly attributed to Pierre Roussel. Although flower marquetry was fashionable in the middle of the 18th century and many cabinetmakers used it, it remains emblematic of Roussel's skill and we recognize here, in its elegant simplicity, the style of this very famous and prolific cabinetmaker. We also note that the bronze falls are very much in his style (see a documented comparison).
At the time of this sale it was noted in the catalog "restorations, transformations in belt" so we examined with our cabinetmaker the piece of furniture under all its aspects. From our examination, it appears that the belts have never been touched except for the belt pulls on the sides. Indeed, although their facing crosspieces seem perfectly original, the other parts of the frames have been redone, and without a doubt their fir floors (for the placement of new leather) as well as the pulls' runners, and this is undoubtedly what the expert was referring to. However, we are certain that the veneer on the drawer pulls is the original one, but (although our cabinetmaker thinks that it is a simple restoration) we will keep a reservation on the frame of the drawer pulls themselves (made by keeping the veneer or simply restored with conservation of the first crosspiece) and their original presence on the desk.
It is true that period desks are not often provided with pulls, but we know some, and even with sometimes up to four, especially for desks or library tables. However, whether they are absolutely original or not is not of capital importance here, because its side pulls, lined with the same superb morocco as the top, give the desk both an extra elegance (without its integrity really suffering) and above all offer a very nice working surface.
Our desk, by its small size, which should not be confused with that of the so-called "lady's desks", is similar to the so-called "library" or "living room" desks. Very appreciated in their time (it is necessary to think that the king himself had a desk of only 148 cm, delivered in 1734 by Gaudreaus for the "Cabinet à Pans", and later used as a library table in the castle of Choisy) they are still appreciated nowadays for their small and more practical dimensions (Read in documentation what Pierre Kjellberg tells us).
Pierre Roussel (Paris 1723 - 1782). Master in 1745.
The piece of furniture is in an exceptional original condition and, apart from what is reported for the pulls, some rare small restorations of use without gravity, in its integrity of veneer but also with all its original fittings present: its three locks (and two keys in gilded bronze to operate the three), its three entries of lock, its falls of angle and its sabots in bronze delicately chased and gilded. The gilding with fine gold of very beautiful quality has been redone, the piece of furniture perfectly restored in the last decade and new leathers put on. Since it came into our possession, our cabinetmaker has taken care of the smallest chips, repolished the bronze astragal and finally refreshed the varnish with a buffer (let us mention that some of the photographs were taken before this last intervention).
Parisian work of the Louis XV period, attributed to Pierre Roussel, circa 1745 -1755.
Dimensions: 73 cm high x 123.5 cm wide x 67.5 cm deep.
195 cm wide (ties wide open).
