A "muses" chest of drawers in veneered and molded wood marqu - Lot 110

A "muses" chest of drawers in veneered and molded wood marquetry, carved and gilded, resting on four tapered legs with leafy hooves, fluted spindle-shaped uprights and rows of foliage, decorated with pearl and oval friezes on the belt and under the top. It opens with three drawers in three rows and features a rich inlaid decoration of polychrome wood including lemon, satinwood, rosewood, mahogany and rosewood. The front depicts a subject after Jean-Henri RIESENER, with two figures of the muse Uranie with compass and telescope attributes surrounding an armillary sphere in a décor of leafy interlacing and floral medallions. Louis XVI style composed of antique elements. Algerian onyx top (marble damaged and restored). (Condition: a lateral crack, a slight dent on the other side and restorations, revern). 88.5 x 135 x 53.5 cm Note: The motif on the front of this chest of drawers echoes that of the exceptional Muses table by Jean Henri Riesener (1734-1806). Known in his day for delivering the "Bureau du roi", Jean-Henri Riesener designed the "Table aux muses" two years later, in 1771, for Pierre-Elisabeth de Fontanieu (1730-1784), Intendant and Controller General of the Garde-Meuble de la couronne, for his personal use at the Hôtel du Garde-Meuble. The marquetry of its top is a perfect illustration of the new Louis XVI style, and finds its finest expression in the work of Riesener. In 1774, he became the official cabinetmaker of the Garde-Meuble de la couronne. The table appeared in Fontanieu's apartment, then in that of his successor Thierry de Ville d'Avray. During the Second Empire, it was in the Empress's study at Saint-Cloud, and sent to the Petit Trianon in 1867, for the major exhibition organized under the patronage of Empress Eugénie on the reign of Louis XVI. This exhibition marked the apogee of the "Louis XVI Impératrice" style and the taste for the 18th century from the 19th century onwards. Our commode is based on this heritage, and reinterprets this work by Riesener, now conserved at the Château de Versailles.