A French mahogany and caned fauteuil, late 18th/early 19th century, stamped by Canabas

Million et Associés, Paris, 30 March 2011, lot 206.

Joseph Gengenbach known as Canabas, cabinet maker, received master in 1766.

Joseph Gengenbach, known as Canabas, was of German origin and settled in Paris in the 1740s. He worked with great cabinetmakers such as Jean-François Oeben and Pierre Migeon before obtaining his master's degree in 1766. He specialized in small, practical pieces of furniture of very high quality, most often made of mahogany. His furniture could be retractable or pivoting, and was very simple in style, without any bronze additions, reflecting the Anglomania fashion that was very popular in the last third of the 18th century. His furniture was used for serving meals or gatherings in the absence of servants, and was often on castors to make it easier to move around. Among his most common works are refreshment trolleys, planters, pedestal tables and tables.

Unlike his colleagues, Canabas would stamp the same piece of furniture several times, sometimes even in unusual places such as on the legs or the back of a seat.

Armchairs are a rarer product for Canabas, but are of equally high quality with a characteristic fluted decoration on the gallery, as can be seen on the present.

An office armchair with the same decoration was sold at Christie's, Paris, 28 November 2018, lot 199. Very similar armchairs are also kept at the Assemblée Nationale.