Large Provincial Walnut Fire Surround, Early 18th Century

Large early 18th Century French provincial walnut fire surround or chimney piece An exceptionally large walnut fireplace surround measurin...

Early 18th Century French Louis XIV / Régence Marquetry Armoire or Wardrobe The rectangular Louis XIV Régence armoire or wardrobe with rounded corners standing on a short base with bracket feet and curved apron with gilt-bronze Apollo head mount; the two doors can be opened by a Pasquil lock to reveal the inside with four removable shelves. The doors decorated with gilt-bronze framed rectangular cartouches displaying elaborate trellis pattern marquetry and gilt-bronze paterea mounts at the corners; the inner sides of the doors each with a large marqueted rhomb motif; the sides of the armoire with quatre-foil mirrored marquetry. Rich gilt-bronze banding, the upper corners and the bracket feet at the front with Louis XIV style gilt- bronze foliage appliques. Although this exceptional Louis XIV / Régence armoire or wardrobe does not bear a stamp (stamping furniture only became commonplace after 1745), its shape, its quality of manufacture and its luxurious yet well-balanced use of Louis XIV/Régence gilt-bronze mounts on an elaborate geometrical marquetry all lead to the workshop of the important cabinet maker Etienne Doirat (1675-1732). Étienne Doirat came from a family of cabinet makers that had been established in Paris from the beginning of the 1600s. Doirat only began to stamp his furniture at the end of his career, and accordingly only few pieces bear his stamp and can serve as comparison pieces for newly discovered pieces of furniture. He constructed various furniture forms, including commodes, armoires, corner cupboards, and tables, often veneered with simple marquetry in exotic woods. Although he did not do the casting, chasing and gilding, Doirat tried to keep exclusive control over the models for his bronze furniture mounts...