catalog text
LOUIS XVI STYLE ORMOLU-MOUNTED PARQUETRY INLAID BEDSIDE CABINET WITH BRECHE VIOLLETT MARBLE TOP
Retailed by Mercier Frères, labeled inside drawer | circa early 20th century | label on reverse 14982 (same number stamped and written on the cabinet) | mounts stamped CF and numbered
Item # 404XQP26W
An exceedingly fine example from the Parisian cabinetmaker Mercier Frères from the first quarter of the 20th century, this fabulous bedside cabinet features mahogany veneers with marquetry latticework across the facade of the sans traverse lower drawers, these with intricate designs of foliage framed in light and dark wood panels separated by satinwood stringer-inlays flanked by ebony borders. The top is a wonderful breche viollett marble surface surrounded by a pierced brass gallery, this projected over the cabinet with corners that curve outward in conformity with the columns of the cabinet. These are mounted with brilliant ormolu of crisply chased foliage flanking a single drawer in the upper hung with a horizontal mount of beautifully developed bas-relief leaves and berries. The brass work around all exposed edges is of the highest quality. The cabinet is raised on outward splayed bronze-mounted sabots.
The mounts are marked CF with serial numbers on the reverse (for example, the top corner mounts are marked CF 3211) and the cabinet is stamped in several areas with the 14982 serial marking. The marquetry inlays bear close though not perfect resemblance to the patterns offered by François Linke to his clients (see François Linke 1855-1946, The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Christopher Payne, 2003, p. 396, pl. 449). See New Orleans Auction Galleries, December 11, 2021 lot 408 for a table documented as being made by at least 8 times by François Linke and several examples by Millet and Zwiener Jansen Successeur - this example is stamped behind the bronze sirens "3271 CF", perhaps the bronzes cast by the same foundry as the present nightstand.
Measurements: 34 9/16" H x 18 1/4" D x 24 1/2" W
Condition Report:
Top is free-floating - we are happy to affix it permanently, but it is intended to be removed for safety when shifting the cabinet. A very fine state of preservation throughout. Some mild sunbleaching to all surfaces. Traces of tarnish and discoloration to the brass and bronze mounts. Typical indicators, including very minor scuffs and abrading. Ready to place.