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Antique French Empire Commode Chest Marble-Top, circa 1880

$6,582List Price

About the Item

This stunning antique French Empire commode in the fabulous Empire manner, circa 1880 in date was crafted from the most beautiful mahogany. It has four large and capacious full width drawers which have the most wonderful ormolu handles, escutcheons and mounts and is surmounted by an elegant marble top. A truly gorgeous piece, this commode deserves pride of place in any furniture collection. It is smothered in fabulous high quality ormolu mounts with Egyptian motifs such as sphinxes, griffins, laurels and Napoleonic symbols. An exquisite and substantial "Verde Antico" marble-top serves as the proverbial cherry to this masterpiece, accentuating the majestic aura surrounding this magnificent item. This delicious piece of craftsmanship could serve any purpose, from the focal point of an antiques collection to a remarkable addition to any room in your home. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 95 x width 121 x depth 59. Dimensions in inches: Height 3 feet, 1 inch x width 4 feet x depth 1 foot, 11 inches. Empire style, Is an early-19th-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts and the visual arts followed in Europe and America until, circa 1830. The style originated in and takes its name from the rule of Napoleon I in the First French Empire, where it was intended to idealize Napoleon's leadership and the French state. The style corresponds to the Biedermeier style in the German-speaking lands, Federal style in the United States and to the Regency style in Britain. The previous style was called Louis XVI style, in France. The Empire style was based on aspects of the Roman Empire. It is the second phase of Neoclassicism which is also called "Directoire", after a government system. Furniture typically had symbols and ornaments borrowed from the glorious ancient Greek and Roman empires. The furniture was made from heavy woods such as mahogany and ebony, imported from the colonies, with dark finishes often with decorative bronze mounts. Marble tops were popular as were Egyptian motifs like sphinxes, griffins, urns and eagles and the Napoleonic symbols, the eagle, the bee, the initials "I" and a large "N." Gilded bronze (ormolu) details displayed a high level of craftsmanship. Mahogany. is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although Mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of Fine musical instruments). Cuban Mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850s, this particular variety became all but extinct. Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'. The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object. No true ormolu was produced in France after around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of colour. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil).

Dimensions:
Height: 37.41 in (95 cm)Width: 47.64 in (121 cm)Depth: 23.23 in (59 cm)
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1880-1889
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 073631stDibs: LU95064970253

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