A LOUIS XV GILT BRONZE-MOUNTED TULIPWOOD, AMARANTH AND MARQUETRY COMMODE BY MATHIEU CRIAERD, CIRCA 1755 |

with a Levanto marble top, some mounts with the crowned C mark; stamped M. CRIAERD JMEMathieu Criaerd (1689-1776), maître in 1738

Camoin Collection, Paris
Galerie Maurice Segoura, Paris

Alexandre Pradère, The Art of the Ebéniste from Louis XIV to the Revolution (Paris 1989), illustrated p.227
Pierre Verlet, Les grands ébénistes Français (Paris 1963), illustrated p.70

In very good conserved condition, with old repairs to small age cracks and scattered minor patches and infill to veneers. Minor rubbing and tarnishing to bronze mounts. A few vertical age cracks on proper right side. Marble of good colour with old repaired breaks, well done and hardly visible. Exceptionally beautiful commode by one of the greatest 18th century cabinetmakers.
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.

Described by the great Pierre Verlet as a work of 'une extrême somptuosité', this commode is a masterpiece of French furniture design by one of the most talented and prolific ébénistes working in Paris in the mid-18th century, Mathieu Criaerd.  He was part of a dynasty of cabinetmakers and his clients included the Royal Household whom he supplied through marchands merciers like Hébert or the court cabinetmaker Gilles Joubert. His most famous creation is probably the blue and white Vernis Martin commode and corner cupboards supplied to the King's mistress Mlle de Mailly for the château de Choisy (Paris, Louvre, ill. Alcouffe, Le Mobilier du musée du Louvre, Dijon 1993, Vol.I, no.43). This celebrated suite has silvered bronze mounts in the distinctive form of a central violin-shaped cartouche, a motif that Criaerd repeated frequently and became a de facto signature.
This extraordinary commode probably dates from later in his career, when Criaerd had moved away from the stylized, semi-abstract bois de bout marquetry favoured by his contemporaries like BVRB and Dubois to the more realistic and exuberant floral marquetry that had fallen out of fashion but was re-introduced in the 1750s by the German-born ébéniste du roi Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763).  Criaerd probably worked for Oeben at some stage, as his name appears on the list of Oeben's creditors after his death.
The gilt bronze drawer handles in the form of birds are unprecedented in Crieard's oeuvre and possibly unique in Louis XV furniture, although gilt bronze mounts in the form of birds do appear on the richly decorated commode and encoignures of c.1740 by Charles Cressent referred to 'à la pipée des oiseaux' (Waddesdon Manor and Elton Hall, England; illustrated in A. Pradère, Charles Cressent sculpteur, ébéniste du Régent, Dijon 2003, p.60, 281, 291).
No better appreciation can be written of this lot than that expressed by Pierre Verlet (op. cit., p.71): Cette commode se signale à la fois par la délicatesse de sa marqueterie et par la magnificence de ses bronzes. Les poignées, gracieusement ailées, interrompent seules les semis de fleurs répandu sur à façade qu’encadre une bordure de bronze du meilleur dessin rocaille. Les proportions très allongées du meuble ajoutent encore à son élégance, qui suffirait à prouver le talent et la maîtrise de Mathieu Criaerd.