PROPERTY OF THE GUINNESS TRUSTS AND COLLECTIONS
A rare gilt-bronze mounted ebony and mahogany table à la tronchin by Nicolas Lannuier,
Louis XVI, late 18th century
LOT SOLD.
75,000 GBP
Details & Cataloguing
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A rare gilt-bronze mounted ebony and mahogany table à la tronchin by Nicolas Lannuier,
Louis XVI, late 18th century
the adjustable rising top inset with green and gilt tooled leather with ebony borders with a fitted pull-out drawer with writing slide, beaded mouldings and mounts, two lifting handles to the sides and two slides to top, on square fluted tapering supports and castors, the drawer with the label of Maître Ebéniste Lannuier
80cm. high, 92cm. wide, 58cm. deep; 31½in., 36¼in., 23in.
Read Condition Report
Read Condition Report
80cm. high, 92cm. wide, 58cm. deep; 31½in., 36¼in., 23in.
Literature
Jean Nicolay, L'art et la Manière des Maîtres Ébénistes Français au XVIII Siècle, Paris, 1976, p.253, fig. C;
Peter M Kenney, Francis F Bretter, Ulrich Leben, Honoré Lannuier Cabinet Maker from Paris, New York, 2007, p. 13, fig. 7
Peter M Kenney, Francis F Bretter, Ulrich Leben, Honoré Lannuier Cabinet Maker from Paris, New York, 2007, p. 13, fig. 7
Catalogue Note
This type of multi-purpose writing table, with ratcheted reading and drawing slope, was named a table à la Tronchin in honour of the Swiss doctor Théodore Tronchin (d. 1781), who recommended the use of such a table for reading or writing while standing. The complex design’s first inventor has been attributed to both Louis Dufour in 1777 and Abraham Roentgen in 1780. It is very difficult to trace exactly who was the innovator of this type of table as not all original designs survive or are dated. However, we do know that many of the great ebenistes of the late 18th century including Riesener, Feuerstein, Weisweiler and Lannuier created variations of their own.
Nicolas-Louis Cyrille Lannuier (maître 1786) was born 1766-67 into an industrious family of cabinet makers and entrepreneurs. His uncle was the well-established Parisian ébéniste Jean-Charles Cochois, whilst his youngest brother was to become the celebrated Franco-American ébéniste Honoré Lannuier. Nicolas grew up in Chantilly to the north of Paris before moving with his family to Paris in the early 1780's. He retained a strong connection to Chantilly and to the resident Prince de Condé, Louis XVI’s cousin, throughout his early career. This connection explains the commission that he supplied to the Prince in 1786 for 5,000 livres worth of furniture. Unfortunately the exact commission has been lost, however, the present offered lot's refined construction and sophisticated mechanism would have been the most commercial and desirable of his output at that time. Apart from the Prince de Condé, Lannuier had one other royal client namely the Comte de Provence later Louis XVIII. Again nothing is known of this commission other than that the Comte patronised many Parisian ébénistes to accommodate his lavish lifestyle including Lannuier. Furniture from Lannuier’s workshop is characterised by fine mahogany veneers and brass inlays enclosing narrow mahogany fillets. From early on Lanniuer understood the importance of self-promotion and often attached small adverts into his furniture to encourage business amongst the admiring public as seen on the offered piece.
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