BY PIERRE HACHE, GRENOBLE, CIRCA 1730

Famed for employing distinctive local burr-woods, the Hache family, established in Grenoble, was the most well-known dynasty of cabinet-makers outside of Paris in the eighteenth century. The first Hache to use the estampille, HACHE A GRENOBLE, was Pierre Hache (1703-76), who produced a variety of both domestic and luxurious furniture in the Louis XIV, Régence, and early Louis XV styles. Working from 1725 in his father’s workshop, he started to use his own stamp upon the death of his father Thomas (1664-1747) and was eventually granted the title Garde et Ebéniste du duc d'Orléans in 1757. After taking over his father’s atelier, Pierre continued producing furniture in the forms and shapes previously manufactured by Thomas, while embellishing them with new types of decoration and inlay variations. The intricate floral marquetry contrasting with the dramatic burl inlay found on this commode is a hallmark of the Hache workshop in the mid-1700s, and can be found on a number of comparable commodes including one sold Christie’s, Paris, 24 June 2002, lot 140 and another sold Christie’s, Paris, 21 June 2006, lot 241. The floral marquetry seen on these commodes is known as à l'italienne and it consists of finely executed delicate rinceaux of flowers. Although this type of decoration was developed by Thomas Hache after his journey to Savoy, where he observed the style and technique of Italian craftsmen, it was perfected and used in conjunction with burlwood by his son Pierre. For a comparable commode, see P. and F. Rouge, Le Génie des Hache, Dijon, s.d, p. 258, no. 116.