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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A very fine Empire gilt bronze mounted mahogany secrétaire à abattant and matching commode. The mahogany veneered oak carcass secrétaire with moulded rectangular grey marble top above a frieze drawer centred by an elaborate gilt bronze escutcheon with pair of outward facing eagles, the fallfront centred by a pair of gilt mounted winged females holding a cartouche and a similar mount below placed either side of the opening for the two doors, the door flanked by square pilasters headed by beautiful gilt bronze Grecian female caryatid busts, the fallfront opening to reveal an inset gilt-tooled leather lined writing surface and fitted interior of two tiers of pigeon holes, secret compartments and drawers centred by a pair of gilt mounted butterflies above gilt mounted caryatid females above a veneered simulated brick wall, the whole supported on ebonised lion paw feet. The matching mahogany veneered oak carcass commode, likewise with moulded rectangular grey marble top above a frieze drawer centred by corresponding elaborate gilt bronze mounts, above two doors centred by the same gilt winged females holding a cartouche either side of the opening, the doors opening to reveal two drawers with ring handles, the whole flanked by square pilasters headed by beautiful gilt bronze Grecian female caryatid busts, above ebonised lion paw feet Paris, date circa 1800-5 The secrétaire: Height 147 cm, width 105 cm, depth 44 cm. The commode: Height 93 cm, width 135 cm, depth 67 cm. Exactly the same eagle mounted escutcheons were used to decorate a gilt bronze and mahogany commode by Guillaume Benneman (maître 1785, d. 1811), which is now in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Likewise the same paired eagles feature on a Benneman secrétaire housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (respectively illustrated in Léon de Groër, “Les Arts Décoratifs de 1790 à 1850”, 1985, p. 107, pl. 184 and p. 108, pl. 186). After the overthrow of the French monarchy, Benneman who was of German origin and had previously worked as ébéniste to Louis XVI continued to prosper, albeit on a smaller scale. A number of his pieces from the Consulate and Empire periods exhibited similar features as we see here. In particular the same massive overall form, caryatid capitals and lion paw feet all feature on another secrétaire and companion commode, illustrated in Denise Ledoux-Lebard, “Le Mobilier Français du XIXe Siècle”, 2000, p. 68. |