A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED EBONY, EBONIZED, AND GILT-DECORATED LACQUER COMMODE

E.-Guillaume-Edmond Lexcellent (b. 1834) first opened an atelier at 46, rue de Charenton in 1867. He relocated to 8, rue Breguet where he worked until 1928. He exhibited meubles de luxe de divers styles at the 1867, 1878 and 1889 Expositions universelles where he was awarded a médaille de bronze as well as a médaille d'argent. Despite the unusually small number of works, particularly those dating to the firm's earlier output, Lexcellent reportedly employed over eighty workmen according to his 1878 exhibition application, two of which were women (C. Payne, Paris Furniture: The Luxury Market of the 19th Century, 2018, p. 427).

Lexcellent's furniture is highlighted in the Art Journal Paris Exhibition supplement for 1900, which notes, 'the works of Rn Lexcellent form an extremely interesting display. It is to M. Lexcellent that the credit is to be given for such complete and careful work in the chiseled bronzes and other details which in no sense interfere with delicacy of the whole'.

For a note on this model by Martin Carlin, see lot 175.