About this lot
Description
the shaped red brèche marble top above three long drawers, the corner mounts with a dolphin flanked by two blowing figures of Triton, the sabots with lion masks, both sides with a rich central rococo foliated mount, one drawer stamped JME 86 x 167 x 66cm
Footnote: Initially known as tables en bereaux , the commode was first introduced by André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) and was the earliest example of a free-standing chest-of-drawers. Referencing the characteristic swollen form, the commode en tombeau is a hybrid of the table and earlier sarcophagus-shaped coffer. Under Louis XV the en tombeau form became increasingly Rococo, and, as with the present lot, used elaborate ormolu mounts, handles and escutcheons. Veneered with exotic woods, boasting ornate gilt bronze mounts, and surmounted by an impressive, serpentine shaped, slab of brèche marble, this commode is an extraordinary example of the en tombeau form. While the lion mask sabot mounts are a typical motif in Régence and early Louis XV commodes, this piece is further elevated by the unique corner mounts, which display a rippled-water cartouche surrounding a dolphin, and bordered by cornucopia blowing tritons, their tails intertwined below. Based on the unusual mounts and escutcheons, it is likely that the ébéniste of the present lot is Louis Delaïtre, one of the most prominent and important French cabinetmakers of the 18 th century. Although contemporary accounts brand Delaïtre as a brutish and violent man, his furniture, produced up until the 1750s from his atelier at Rue-Saint Nicolas, is said to have characterised the elegance and exuberance of the Louis XV era. In July 2006, at their Contenu d'une Propriété d'Ile de France sale (lot 583) Christie’s, Paris, sold a similarly mounted, and likewise unstamped, commode for €60,000.
Condition report: Two pieces of loss of veneer approx cm each (see photos ) Good condition for age . Chip to rear of marble right hand . Possible old Repair to top ,see photo .
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