Lot 193
  • 193

A Magnificent Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted kingwood and tulipwood Bureau à Cylindre Paris, circa 1880-85

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
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Description

  • height 5 ft.; width 5 ft. 8 1/2 in.; depth 35 in.
  • 152.5 cm; 174 cm; 89 cm
of slight bombé form, the pierced three-quarter gallery above three frieze drawers, two with later locks stamped CHUBB'S / DETECTOR with the Royal arms/ 128 QUEEN VICTORIA ST and numbered 1741531 'LONDON ' and CHUBB LONDON within a fish, the cylinder fronted by a trophy emblematic of literature and flanked by figural four-light candelabrum, opening to walnut filing arrangement and a gilt-tooled green leather lined writing slide, the frieze with three large drawers, the back centered by the mask of a water nymph flanked by trophies emblematic of Architecture and Science, raised on cabriole legs terminating in lion paw feet and headed by female masks to the four corners, each side fitted with a writing slide.

Provenance

Property from the Marshall Galleries, Los Angeles, Sotheby's, New York, December 15, 1984, lot 41

Condition

Overall in good condition with the usual nicks, marks, scratches and dents throughout consistent with age and use. The carcass has shrunk over time resulting the sliding front convex door to be difficult to open. Once open, the interior drawers with minor scratches and dents. Sliding writing surface with stains and scratches. Four minor bronze pullouts from the false drawers lacking. All bronzes in very good condition of gilding but with tarnishing in places. Very impressive casting quality. Some mounts will need to be tightened as some hardware is missing. The proper right side figural candelabra will need to be tightened back. One nozzle to the left candelabra is broken, shows traces of restoration and later gilding. It will need to be re-soldered. Craqueleur to varnish to the tulipwood. All gilt-bronze moldings with extensive wear. Three frieze drawers are all difficult to open due to shrinkage and the locks have been replaced later.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The design of the present magnificient bureau à cylindre, adorned by the figure of Apollo and Caliope as figural candelabras, was arguably inspired by Oeben and Riesener's cylinder desk, universally referred to as the Bureau du Roi, one of the most famous pieces of 18th century French furniture. The construction of this extraordinary piece was started in 1760 by Jean-François Oeben, finally delivered to the King in May 1769 after its completion by Oeben's successor, Jean-Henri Riesener. The desk, which took numerous craftsman and "nine years of painstaking work to bring it to perfection," dominated Riesener's work during this period. The magnificent Bureau du Roi was originally in Louis XV's study at Versailles. Seemingly too much a reminder of the ancien régime, it was relegated to the office of Napoleon's assistant in the Tuileries in an inventory of 1807. It was moved to the grand salon at the Palais des Tuileries for a short time until transferred to Saint-Cloud by Empress Eugénie in 1855. In August 1870 it was at the Musée du Louvre before being finally returned to Versailles in 1957.

A bureau à cylindre of related design but with a double-face timepiece centering the gallery, from the New Orleans collection of Joseph M. Meraux, sold Sotheby's New York, September 17, 1993, lot 197, for $195,000.  Another similar desk sold Christie's London, September 27, 2007, lot 100, for £204,000.