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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A MAGNIFICENT CHINESE LACQUER SECRÉTAIRE A very fine Louis XVI kingswood and black, gold and red Chinese lacquer secrétaire à abattant by Nicolas-Jean Marchand, stamped MARCHAND, the moulded rectangular and canted corner brêche d’Alep marble top above a frieze drawer with central oval wreath-hung escutcheon decorated with a Chinese lacquer panel featuring buildings in a hilly landscape, the front decorated overall with an elaborate bordered lacquer panel featuring birds, Oriental flowers and foliage, the sides similarly decorated with fine lacquer panels featuring a floral bouquet, peacock and butterfly, the fallfront with central escutcheon opening to reveal an inset gilt-tooled leather lined writing surface and fitted interior with two shelves above a central pigeon hole flanked either side by three small drawers, the fallfront above two doors with matching escutcheons opening to reveal a single shelf above a divided one, the whole with canted corners above bracket feet with rosette cast mounts Paris, date circa 1765 Height 145 cm, width 80 cm, depth 41 cm. This exceedingly fine secrétaire by Nicolas-Jean Marchand, (b. circa 1697 d. after 1768) belongs to the early Louis XVI period, comparing for instance with a pair of encoignures by B.V.R.B. III (illustrated in Thibaut Wolvesperges, “Le Meuble Français en Laque au XVIIIe Siècle”, 2000, p. 204, pl. 95). In both instances the ébénistes adapted original Chinese lacquer panels within an overt classical design. The present piece is an exciting discovery for though Marchand specialised in lacquered furniture, other recorded pieces were made in the curvaceous Louis XV style. However based on its linear style, the canted corners, angled feet as well as the classical mounts this piece must have been made circa 1765, which at first appears to contradict what scant knowledge we have of this fine maker. For instance it is known that because Marchand employed Augustin Bonnière, a bronze castor on his premises he contravened guild regulations and was thus forced to retire in circa 1756. However Wolvesperges op. cit. notes that in March 1768 Marchand had to sell his effects to the ébéniste du Roi Gilles Joubert and with the assistance of 200 livres was able to offset his debts. This would surely imply that he had continued in production up until this date, even on a much reduced scale. Unfortunately little is known of Marchand’s life, knowledge is impeded by a lack of an inventory after his death and even the exact date of that is unknown. We do know however that Marchand became a Paris maître-ébéniste circa 1735 establishing himself in rue St. Nicolas in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine from where he created luxury furniture for an elite clientele. Among them was the marquis de Paulmy, gouverneur de l’Arsenal, to whom Marchand supplied a marquetry commode with ornate rocaille mounts, now in the Musée de Carnavalet, Paris. He also supplied the royal household through the intervention of Gilles Joubert, notably two pairs of commodes, which Joubert delivered to Château de Fontainebleau in 1755. Both pairs were originally ornamented with Chinese lacquer and elaborate rocaille mounts; one pair was for Marie Leczinska’s bedchamber and the other for Louis XV’s bedchamber (of which an example from each pair is now in the Wallace Collection, London and both companion pieces in private collections). Louis XV’s pair was subsequently re-veneered but thankfully the other pair remained intact and admirably demonstrates that as here, Marchand chose some of the finest Chinese lacquer work to adorn his furniture. In addition to commodes, secrétaires, encoignures, and small tables Marchand also made longcase regulator cases, one of which also stamped Duhamel was fitted with a Pierre Leroy movement. Marchand’s brother, Pierre and the latter’s son were both master castors and Marchand himself took an active interest in orchestrating his mounts, which as noted contravened guild regulations and appears to have led to his eventual downfall. |