A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED, BRASS AND TORTOISESHELL-INLAID PREMIERE-PARTIE 'BOULLE' MARQUETRY AND EBONY MEUBLES D'APPUI

This pair of neo-Boulle cabinets par excellence is a fine manifestation of the 19th century preoccupation with the œuvre of the celebrated ébéniste. The present meubles à hauteur d’appui combine elements from two noted works by André-Charles Boulle: the splendid marquetry panels of flowing arabesques and foliage to the top of the cabinet doors relate closely to the back panel of a clock case of a pedestal clock attributed to the master, dated to circa 1720-25, and today in the Wallace Collection (F42), while the scrolling mounts set with satyr masks and enclosing diapered marquetry to the bottom of each cabinet door relate to those on the lateral doors of a splendid wardrobe by Boulle circa 1715, and in the same collection (F429). The leading French ébénistes of the late 19th century would have been well familiar with these and other works by Boulle, and in their efforts to meet a burgeoning international demand for cabinetry by the master, created both exact replicas of his celebrated models and new inventions such as the present lot, which skilfully combine elements of numerous masterpieces into a creation evocative of the rich and eclectic esprit du XIXe siècle.