With its sinuous façade consisting of pronounced undulations, this richly-mounted commode was conceived during the Régence era, circa 1720; its novel and rare form was known as arc-en- arbalète. The mounts to the sides, with smiling masks, as well the scrolling corner mounts were cast after prototypes by André-Charles Boulle (d. 1732), and feature on some of his most celebrated items of furniture; it is therefore likely the commode was made by Boulle Fils, sons of the celebrated ébéniste du Roi, who continued the workshop after 1720.
The general form of the commode as well as the smiling masks to the sides can be compared to a bas d’armoire dating from 1715, which stood for many years in Louis XIV’s bedchamber at Versailles (illustrated, P Verlet, French Furniture and Interior Decoration of the 18th Century, p. 162, fig. Pl. 43), demonstrating that furniture of this type was conceived for the richest and most important interiors.
Several comparable commodes en-arbalète have been sold at auction previously.
The form, veneer, handles and framing mounts of the present lot relate to a commode previously in the collection of Baroness Zuylen van Nyevelt, second wife of Baron Guy de Rothschild; sold Christie's Paris, 7 December 2005, lot 78. Another commode sold Sotheby's Monaco, 3 December 1994, lot 47, is of comparable form and with similar rich ornamentation, most notably to the drawers.
The side mounts of the present lot are related to mounts modelled as masks that can be seen on a commode attributed to André-Charles Boulle in the Getty Museum (70.DA.80). Both the commode in the Getty and the present lot are adorned with mounts widely recognised as a fundamental part of Boulle’s repertoire; the laughing mask and foliate chutes adorning the angles. These particular mounts suggest a date of creation for this desk around sometime shortly after the fire which destroyed the whole of his atelier in 1720, when the workshop was very much being operated by his sons.
The geometrical parquetry decoration of this commode en-arbalète was the height of fashion in early 18th-century France and represented a trend away from the previously admired floral marquetry designs. Commodes en-arbalète are rare simply because of the exceptional skill required for construction and precision in aligning the raised and indented ridges of the traverse rails with the drawers. Considered to be the prime piece of furniture within any room, a commode such as this typifies the opulence and beauty sought by cabinet-makers and patrons alike in the Régence period.
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