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A wonderful Louis XV Transition Louis XVI gilt bronze mounted inlaid marquetry kingswood, rosewood and stained wood commode stamped N. PETIT, the moulded shaped rectangular grey marble top above two drawers each with central circular handles, the lower handle hinged to reveal a hidden keyhole, ornamented overall with a geometrically shaped gilt border, with a central panel inlaid with a foliate splay above a fluted column, flanked either side by outer panels inlaid with ribbon-tied musical trophies, above a shaped apron with applied mount, the chamfered angles with ribbon-tied foliate mounts, the sides decorated with a rectangular gilt border enclosing rectangular inlays, on hipped cabriole legs terminating in foliate paw sabots
Paris, date circa 1765-70
Height 84 cm, width 79 cm, depth 41.5 cm.
The use of veneered musical trophies appear on other pieces of furniture stamped N. Petit, for example on two tulipwood and amaranth veneered secrétaires, illustrated in Giacomo Wannenes, “Eighteenth Century French Furniture”, 2000, pp. 201 and 202. Similar decoration also appears other pieces bearing Petit’s stamp, for instance a Louis XV commode and a later Louis XVI secrétaire (illus. Pierre Kjellberg, “Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe Siècle”, 1998, pp. 643 and 649). The present piece with its Louis XV style cabriole legs yet more geometric Neo-classical body and stylised musical trophy veneers is typical of the Louis XV/XVI Transitional style.
Nicolas Petit (1732-91) was one of the leading eighteenth century Parisian furniture makers, who in later career concentrated his activities as a marchand-ébéniste or dealer. He was the son of a menuisier and was received as a maître-ébéniste in 1761. In 1783 he was elected adjoint aux syndics of his guild and the following year syndic of the guild. Petit began his career as an ébéniste and furniture seller, with a Paris workshop in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine at the sign of the ‘Nom de Jésus’. An inventory of 1765, made after the death of his wife, Marie-Magdeleine Dignoir (whom he married in 1758) listed eight workbenches – implying a thriving workshop. However only very few items of furniture were listed in his workshop, namely two toilet table carcasses, one clock case, two carcasses for secrétaires en armoire, one night table, five tables ‘mignonettes’, one tulipwood veneered encoignure and one toilet-table. The evident scarcity of stock, along with a lack of any client list implies that Petit supplied direct to the dealers or to fellow ébénistes. In addition to charming tables, commodes and secrétaires, Petit is perhaps even better known for his magnificent longcase clock cases, which he supplied to Lépine but more frequently to Lepaute (an example of which is at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris).
During his later career, Petit mainly worked as a marchand-ébéniste. Judging from the many references to him dating from the period 1777-89 as a creditor in bankruptcy statements of ébénistes, dealers and upholsters, he must have built up a large business. An inventory drawn up after his death in 1791 also points to a prosperous concern. The remaining stock included almost 400 pieces, while his client list cited a number of very important figures. Included were the duc d’Orléans, the duc de Bouillon as well as the Princesse de Hesse, the comte de Vergemont, the comtesse de Schacookoy, M. Randon de Lucernay, M. de Sartine and M. de Saint Julien. Today an array of beautiful furniture and clock cases bearing his stamp can be found in many important public collections such as the Parisian Musées des Arts Décoratifs, Arts et Métiers, Carnavalet, Cognacq-Jay and Nissim-de-Camondo. Other of his works can be admired at the Ephrussi, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the Musée Lambinet at Versailles, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, the Wallace Collection, London and at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire.
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