Live Auction 7983500 Years Important Decorative Arts Europe
A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED JAPANESE LACQUER, AVENTURINE, ACAJOU MOUCHETE AND AMARANTH SECRETAIRE A ABATTANT
Lot 514

A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED JAPANESE LACQUER, AVENTURINE, ACAJOU MOUCHETE AND AMARANTH SECRETAIRE A ABATTANT

BY ALFRED BEURDELEY, PARIS, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY, THE LACQUER PARTLY EDO-MEIJI PERIOD

Closed7 July 2011

Price Realised

GBP 67,250

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A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED JAPANESE LACQUER, AVENTURINE, ACAJOU MOUCHETE AND AMARANTH SECRETAIRE A ABATTANT
BY ALFRED BEURDELEY, PARIS, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY, THE LACQUER PARTLY EDO-MEIJI PERIOD
The later eared rectangular Saint-Berthevin marble top above a scrolled acanthus frieze, fitted to the front with a drawer, above a fall-front panel lined with a green velvet writing service and enclosing a brass-inlaid and aventurine lacquer decorated interior fitted with a pigeon-hole flanked by drawers, the front and sides lacquered with pagoda landscape scenes, the angles set with flower-filled basket bearing caryatids, above a shaped apron fitted with a drawer, on tapering fluted legs joined by a pierced loop stretcher, on caped feet, the reverse of the frieze drawer mount signed 'BY'
51 3/8 in. (130.5 cm.) high; 27½ in. (70 cm.) wide; 15½ in. (39.5 cm.) deep

Specialist note

This secrétaire à abattant is characteristic of the late 19th century production of Beurdeley which specialized in producing furniture and objects inspired by the Louis XVI models in the Garde-meuble national. Beurdeley is famed for the quality of its production and as evident in the finely cast ormolu, superb construction and delicately gilt-embossed lacquer panels every effort was made to replicate the work of the 18th century ébénistes du roi. This secrétaire borrows directly from the oeuvre of Adam Weisweiler. Compare the famous secrétaire en cabinet in the Wrightsman Collection with its basket bearing caryatid mounts, Japanese lacquer with aventurine and a loop stretcher (ill. D. O. Kisluk-Grosheide et. al, European Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Highlights of the Collection, New York, 2006, pp. 210-213 fig. 89).
An apparently unsigned example of this model, with different lacquer panels, sold Christie's, London, 19 March 2008, lot 85 (£50,900).