A fine Louis XIV ormolu-mounted ebony, brass and stained horn Boulle marquetry commode circa 1710, Attributed to Nicolas Sageot

the D-shaped marquetry top veneered with floral and foliate motifs incorporating flowerheads and cartouches of lattice-work centered by a flower-filled vase, the case with two short above two long drawers fitted with ormolu drop handles and keyhole escutcheons cast with espagnolettes, the corners with ormolu mounts cast with stylized wings, raised on ormolu feet in the form of addorsed C-scrolls cast with trellis and stylized feather motifs; the front and the sides veneered to match the top with elaborate foliate scrollwork, flower-filled vases and marked with stained horn flowerheads and cartouches in shades of blue, red and yellow.

The present commode belongs to a group which have, historically, been attributed to either Noël Gérard, or his contemporary, Nicolas Sageot.  The recent discovery of an example stamped by Sageot has tipped the balance of evidence in favor of the latter.  However, it should be remembered that the early 18th century saw a fundamental shift in the furniture market in France with the increased role of the marchand-merciers.  Both these cabinet-makers were also dealers and it is perfectly possible that they sub-contracted either the whole or part of the production of these commodes.  Indeed, the existence of two further commodes each stamped A.G., one sold Tajan, Paris, June 25, 1996, lot 183, the other sold, Christie's, New York, October 21, 1997, lot 31, further complicates the issue.  AG is probably the stamp of Aubertin Gaudron who supplied the garde-meuble between 1686 and 1713.

Nicolas Sageot (1666-c.1730)

Sageot worked on the Grande-Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine as an ouvrier libre until 1706 when he received his maîtrise.  He married the daughter of the ébéniste Jacques Roussel rather late in life, in 1711.  Sageot’s production seems to have principally consisted of armoires, commodes and bureaux.  He was one of the few cabinet-makers of his generation  who occasionally stamped his furniture, however very few pieces bearing his stamp  have been recorded.  Inventories of his stock and records of his income reveal that Sageot enjoyed great success and had an extremely lucrative business,  but in 1720 he retired at the age of only 54.  In 1720 his stock of furniture was sold to the marchand-mercier Léonard Prieur, and his stock of timber to Claude François Mainguet, marchand en bois; this consisted principally of oak, pine and limewood.  In 1723 Sageot suffered a mental breakdown and he died 8 years later, his workshop did not survive (Pierre Grand, ‘Le Mobilier Boulle et les Ateliers de l’Epoque’, L’Estampille/L’Objet d’art, February 1993, pp.48-70).

Noël Gérard (1685-1736)

Gérard was not only one of the most important ébénistes of his day, but was also one of the most influential dealers in Paris.  The inventory of stock taken at the time of his death was so extensive that it is clear that Gérard sub-contracted on a very large scale since the seven work benches (recorded in 1736) could not possibly have produced such a large inventory.  It is also instructive to note that in the inventory taken after his death, there is no record whatsoever of any stock of marquetry, of tortoiseshell or of metals in spite of the fact that six armoires and twenty-four clocks, all veneered in “boulle” marquetry were inventoried.  This would clearly imply that this type of furniture had been produced elsewhere.  The stamp ‘NG’ has been found on a small number of pieces – this stamp is attributable to Gérard but whether the stamp was utilized on furniture which came out of his own workshop, or whether it was stamped on furniture which he retailed, is not clear.  Gérard’s clients included  King Stanislas Leczinsky, the Prince de Carignan, the fermier general Alexandre Jean Le Riche de la Popelinière, and the Comte de Clermont, a prince de sang who purchased from Gérard furniture and objets d’art totaling 130,000 livres. 

THE ATTRIBUTION TO SAGEOT

The present commode is of a model which was extremely popular, Grand, op.cit. p. 60, cites no fewer than 40 examples which he has recorded in modern collections and he suggests that the marqueteur Toussaint Devoye, who had close personal and professional ties to Sageot, is the most likely manufacturer of the marquetry panels.  This group of commodes are differentiated by the design of their tops which vary widely.  What they have in common is the design of the marquetry on the front and the sides, and in many cases, the ormolu mounts.  For a number of years these commodes have been attributed to Gérard because of similarities between them and a palissander commode, stamped NG, of identical design, formerly in the collection of Madame Camoin, sold in Paris in 1987 and two marquetry commodes, one sold Sotheby's, Monaco, June 23, 1983, lot 290, the other sold from the Kotschoubey collection in 1906.  It is interesting to note that many of these commodes are fitted with the same ormolu mounts; since Gérard is known to have kept his own stock of mounts, this would give credence to the theory that finished, inlaid, carcasses were delivered to him for sale, whereupon he has his own mounts fitted to them.

As noted above, a commode belonging to the group under discussion has recently been recorded, stamped N SAGEOT.  Formerly in the collection of The Hon. the Earl of Lincoln at Clumber Park, it has the marquetry panels of the same design as the present lot on the front and the sides, with slight variations running down the center of the front; it has identical ormolu borders, corner mounts, keyhole escutcheons and sabots (sold, Christie’s, London, December 16, 1999, lot 50 (£287,500).  To date, this is the only commode in this group which is stamped.

Comparable commodes

A commode with identically designed veneers on the front but differently mounted, attributed to Gérard, sold from the collection of the 11^th Earl of Elgin and 15^th Earl of Kincardine, K.T., Sotheby’s, London, June 13, 2001, lot 253.

One with identical veneers on the sides and front in contre-partie marquetry with stained horn highlights and with identical ormolu sabots, sold from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Christie’s, London, December 14, 2000, lot 320 (£168,000), attributed to Nicolas Sageot on the basis of comparison with the Clumber commode above.

A commode formerly in the collection of the Duchesse de Talleyrand, Palais Rose, with identical veneers in contre-partie marquetry with stained horn highlights, identical ormolu borders around the drawers and identical keyhole escutcheons,  sold, Sotheby’s, New York, May 21, 1992, lot 69 ($350,000).

A commode of identical overall design but with marquetry of slightly different design; with identical corner mounts and borders around the drawers, sold, Sotheby’s, Monaco, June 16, 1990, lot 837 (FF2,886,000).  This attribution was based upon similarities with a palissander commode stamped NG sold from the collection of Madame Camoin, Hotel Drouot, Paris, April 2, 1987, lot 133.  Reference is also made to the commode formerly in the Kotschoubey collection, sold in Paris, June 13, 1906, lot 382 which was of comparable design and execution.

A commode with comparable contre-partie veneers and identical corner mounts, sold, Christie’s, London, June 12, 1997, lot 125; it lacks apron mounts and sabots.

A commode with comparable première partie veneers, identical drawer borders, corner mounts and sabots, with replaced marble top, sold, Sotheby’s, London, December 3, 1997, lot 79 (£170,000)

A commode with comparable première and contre partie marquetry, identical corner mounts, drawer borders, keyhole escutcheons and sabots, sold from the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Howard B. Keck, La Lanterne, Bel Air, California, Sotheby’s, New York, December 5-6, 1991, lot 245 ($340,000).

A commode with replaced marble top and replaced feet; almost identically designed marquetry panels, identical keyhole escutcheons and handles, sold, Sotheby’s, London, December 8, 1989, lot 241 (£74,800).

Another commode of this type is in the collection of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon at Goodwood House, Sussex.