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Louis XV/XVI transitional cherry enfilade from France c.1770

$21,782List Price

About the Item

A superb Louis XV/XVI transitional cherry wood enfilade from France c.1770. This excellent example of French cabinet making skill possesses a number of extremely desirable features. The first are the marvelous proportions as the extreme length is balanced with a very attractive shallow depth. This is quite rare as most cabinets of this size are much deeper from front to back. Secondly the quality of the cherry timber is outstanding. Please look at the fine even grain of the cherry used across the entire front of the enfilade. It is uniform in colour and well matched where two pieces of timber were used to fill a wide panel. Only an artisan with an outstanding eye insisted on matching timber in this manner. The third is the beautiful way in which the lovely flowing lines developed during the reign of Louis XV (1723-1774) are placed in balance with the geometric elongated and raised diamond shaped lozenges first incorporated after Louis XVI (1774-1792) ascended to the throne of France. The term “enfilade” refers to the multiple doors seen here. It is an architectural term applied to a floor plan where a succession of doors were placed in a straight line and used to move from room to room. “En filade” translates as on file and was developed as there was a strict protocol as to the ability of people to move closer and closer to the person in power. Having to traverse through a series of doors, all of which could be kept closed and guarded, ensured that only certain persons had free range of movement. When pieces like this cherry enfilade were built the term enfilade was applied to distinguish it from a buffet which always has two drawers above a pair of doors. Once three or more doors were used the term enfilade is appropriate. This example exhibits the symmetry for which Louis XVI furniture is noted by having a centre panel with a pair of matching scrolls at the top of the panel. Above this panel is a drawer embellished with a horizontal raised lozenge in the form of a diamond with a brass escutcheon (lock plate). An enfilade was used for storage therefore all the doors and drawers could be locked securely and only opened with the correct key. All four of the cabinet doors also have a brass escutcheon that open with a key. With the keys removed the facade has a beautiful balanced rhythm to the carving that is especially pleasing to the eye. Flanking this centre combination of drawer and door are a pair of matching cabinet doors on both the left and right. Each door is rectangular in shape and encloses an inset panel with an undulating profile at the top. Note how each door on its own is asymmetrical in appearance and it is only when they are placed side by side do they form a balanced whole. This is pure Louis XV in inspiration as the emphasis during his reign was on the asymmetry seen in natural organic forms. Placed between each pair of doors is another raised lozenge in an elongated diamond form but these are placed vertically instead and are carved directly out of the cherry. When the cabinet doors are open they reveal copious interior storage bisected by a shelf. The length of the enfilade required more support than the usual two legs seen on a buffet so there are four used here. The feet on the left and right have stylized reference to the cabriole seen on Louis XV pieces while the centre two legs are actually flat across their front with a silhouette that corresponds to the symmetrical pattern seen on the underside of the apron between all four of the legs. The sides are simple in design and enclose a recessed panel with the back legs plain and used only for support not decoration. This enfilade is an extremely handsome piece that continues to embody the best of French eighteenth century allure with an ability to blend seamlessly with twenty first century design.

Dimensions:
Height: 40 in (101.6 cm)Width: 119.5 in (303.53 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Cherry
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
18th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
c.1770
Condition:
Seller Location:
Houston, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: BJ1391stDibs: U1104188668462

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