Offered by GSLR Antiques
Large cabinet or bookcase in marquetry, with large panels of violet wood veneered in diamond tip framed with nets of rosewood. It opens with two large glass doors having kept their locks and wrought iron cremone bolts and 4 removable shelves. The furniture is enriched with a very beautiful original chased and gilded bronze trim, including a lamp base with a mask motif on the bottom rail. The display case can be completely dismantled for transport. Louis XV period, years 1760-70. It is stamped twice on the rear jambs with the stamp of François Garnier and the JME hallmark.
François Garnier was a great cabinetmaker of the 18th century; he began his career in the 1730s under the Regency, was one of the jurors of the community of Parisian cabinetmakers from 1742 to 1744 and died in 1774. His production is always very neat and is characterized by elegance and correctness of proportions. François Garnier is the father of Pierre Garnier, one of the greatest cabinetmakers of the late eighteenth century.
It is interesting to note that François Garnier had 3 periods of production, the beginning of his career where the use of the stamp is not generalized, with unsigned productions, then a second part where he uses a stamp FG that we find on the major part of his production, (like our chest of drawers https://www.anticstore.com/grande-commode-louis-xv-marqueterie-estampille-francois-garnier-89011P) and a third period where he changes iron to adopt the stamp present on our piece of furniture F.Garnier, with a calligraphy close to that of his son Pierre Garnier. We can suppose that François Garnier at the end of his career renewed his stamp iron at the same time as his son created his own, with a certain similarity. (The Artcurial study presented in 2021 a small table in Chinese lacquer by François Garnier bearing the same stamp as our showcase https://www.artcurial.com/fr/lot-table-de-salon-depoque-louis-xv-estampille-de-francois-garnier-4079-17
If Pierre Garnier embraced the new antique style, it seems that François Garnier, as he grew older, remained attached to the style of his early career. Our display case is still very Regency-early Louis XV, although the bronze trim with the acanthus leaf frieze on the high and low cornices may be a timid compromise with the new antique style.
Large but not too high, our piece of furniture remains easy to place even in a modern home.
Beautiful and rare collector's item. Our cabinet has kept its buffer varnish which has been cleaned and repolished by our cabinetmaker. Some restorations and old veneering. The varnish is not new, but presents very well. The furniture can be completely dismantled for transport.
Height : 195cm
Width : 135cm
Depth : 44cm
