A REGENCE ORMOLU-MOUNTED, KINGWOOD AND PARQUETRY COMMODE

CIRCA 1730

Details

The shaped brèche d'Alep marble top above two small and two long drawers flanked by foliate cast chutes headed by a male and female mask and mounted with conforming handles and escutcheons, the shaped bombé sides above upswept foliate and plumed scrolling sabots
32 5/8 in. (83 cm.) high; 68 1/8 in. (173 cm.) wide; 28 1/4 in. (72 cm.) deep
Lot Essay

This majestic commode with its veneers of kingwood, generously bombé form and lavish ormolu mounts relates to the work of the cabinetmaker Etienne Doirat. Kingwood was one of Doirat’s favoured timbers to work with and both the diamond-shaped lattice parquetry on the front of this commode as well as the trellis parquetry on the sides feature on pieces stamped by Doirat, including one sold Exceptional Sale; Paris, 27 November 2018, lot 509 and Christie’s London, 14 March 2018, lot 25 and Christie’s London, 10 July 2008, lot 43. The handles of this chest also related to those seen on Doirat’s oeuvre including on a commode illustrated in Alexandre Pradère's work, "French Cabinetmakers from Louis XIV to the Revolution," Paris, 1989, p. 123 and one attributed to Doirat, sold Christie’s Paris, 14 November 2007, lot 42. Doirat had several successive workshops in the Faubourg Saint Antoine district. He enjoyed significant success, as evidenced by the substantial dowry of his daughter in 1720, as well as by the presence of eleven workbenches in his workshop.