A LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED KINGWOOD , BOIS SATINE AND FRUITWOOD MARQUETRY BOMBE COMMODE

Jean-Claude Quervelle, maître in 1767, is renowned for the quality of his marquetry. As ébéniste du garde-meuble de la Couronne he was principally engaged in the maintenance and restoration of the royal collections at Versailles. His name features in the Comptes for Louis XVI from 1775 to 1778 where he was paid significant amounts for his 'différentes ébénisteries' (ed. G. Schéfer, Paris, 1909, pp. 39, 57 and 61). However, he does not appear to have produced many individual stamped pieces, making the present commode extremely rare. In fact, it has been suggested that a large transitional commode with marquetry of musical trophies may be the only known example (P. Kjellberg Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe Siècle, Paris, 2002, p. 721).

The romantic Gothic castle at Luttrelstown is one of the finest demesnes in Ireland. The house and estate was bought by Ernest Guinness in 1930 for his daughter the Hon. Mrs. Aileen Plunkett, and from the 1950s, along with the inspired decorator Felix Harbord, who had trained in the architectural office of Sir Albert Richardson, Mrs Plunkett transformed its interiors, acquiring many pieces from Country H...