Antique Bleached Oak Drop Front Secretary Commode from Holland, Circa 1850

Hand-carved circa 1850 in the northern reaches of France, known as French Flanders, this oak console or “table a Gibier” has a lovely black bluestone top with white and gray veining. The 1 ½ inch thick top, which has an inverted quarter-round molding, is supported by four long, cabriole legs adorned with elements inspired by nature, such as roquillards, rosettes, floral and foliate margents, and hoof feet. Horizontal margents on the front belt are overshadowed by the elaborate embellishments below. A central carving depicts an Apolline mascaron set within an attenuated leaf wreath, evoking a sense of classical elegance. Below the medallion is a sprawling pierced foliate apron, which is also seen on the sides, but less grand in scale. The stretcher, as is customary with Regence-style furniture, has a modified, serpentine X-stretcher with a center rosette. Given the transitional nature of the Regence period in French history, our bluestone top console...

More information coming soon… From the period of Napoleon III (circa 1850), this French giltwood mirror has a parcloses form, with four smaller mirrors surrounding the main mirror. ...