An important and rare lacquered bronze mounted kingwood and parquetry bureau plat, attributed to Nöel Gérard Régence, circa 1720-30

the rectangular gilt-bronze banded top with rounded corners inset with a leather writing surface within a feather-banded border above a concave-fronted frieze drawer flanked by two further drawers each mounted with a boldly scrolled acanthus leaf, the handles cast with flowers and leaves opposing dummy drawers, each side with a demi-lune apron with a 'C' scroll cartouche cast with flowers and foliage, each knee mounted with a female bust flanked by a gadrooned and acanthus cast scroll on cabriole legs terminating in acanthus cast paw feet, with a paper label inscribed in ink No. 129 and two labels inscribed in black ink `Monsieur Lion''

Almost certainly acquired by George de Ligne Gregory Esq. for Harlaxton Manor, Lincolnshire in the second quarter of the 19th century and included in the sale of The Gregory Heirlooms consisting of Pictures, Sculpture, Tapestry, Silver-plate, Old French Decorative Furniture of the time of Louis XIII, XIV, XV, and XVI, Rare Marbles, Fine Or-Molu Work, Rock-crystal Chandelier, and other Decorative Objects, being a portion of the Collection formed by the late GEORGE GREGORY, ESQ., for the adornment of his Seat, Harlaxton Manor House, Lincolnshire at Christie's London, 17 June 1878, as lot 95, it was described as:-
A FINE LOUIS XV. LIBRARY-TABLE, of rosewood, with three drawers, mounted with terminal female busts, scrolls, and foliage, and border of or-molu, on claw feet, the top covered with leather -
6ft. 5in. long, fetching 315 Guineas to 'Annon' (sic.).

Monsieur Lion, according to the label, possibly a misspelling of the above
Hubert de Givenchy, Paris
Sold as lot 30, French & Company, Magnificent French and English Furniture, Christie's, New York, 24th November 1998

Architectural Digest, February 1987, p. 88.

Very attractive detail to casting of gilt-bronze mounts. There is some rubbing to the gilding in places as visible from photograph. Old very minor marks, chips and scratches commensurate with age and minor restorations to the veneer, which have been very well executed and are hardly noticeable, see for example the curved border of the drawer illustrated on the flap of the pull-out. Some parts are slightly faded would benefit from a repolish according to taste. There is a later piece of wood beneath the top to strengthen and very minor internal strengthening. On the drawer side, the handles seem to sit a bit low but there are no signs of previous mounts. A very good bureau of good size and elegant proportions and iIn overall very good condition. Highly recommended and the estimate is very reasonable.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
P.Arizzoli-Clémentel, Versailles, Furniture of the Royal Palace 17th and 18th Centuries, Vol. 2, Dijon, 2002, p. 44-45, no.6, (Inv. V 1595).
Christopher Hussey, Harlaxton Manor, Linconshire: The Property of the English Province of the Society of Jesus, Country Life, April 11, 1957, p. 704.
Alexandre Pradère, Les Ebénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Revolution, Paris, 1989, pp. 82, 110.
The form of this magnificent bureau plat would appear to be loosely based with its recessed central drawer, shaped flanking drawers, female mask angle mounts and acanthus paw feet on a drawing inscribed `Oppenordt', in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, reproduced here in fig.1.

This bureau plat can almost certainly be attributed to the renowned ébéniste Noël Gérard due to its striking similarity to another very similar bureau plat stamped 'N.G.' illustrated by Pradère op. cit.,  p.110, (sold in these Rooms, lot 171, 17th May 1963), reproduced here in fig. 2. It bears identical handle and angle-mounts, which have usually been more readily identified as the work of André-Charles Boulle and Pradère states that `the female heads are copied from models by Boulle, no doubt bought from the sale after the latter's death in 1732'.  The inventory taken following Boulle's death records` une boeste contenant un reste de bronze de bureaux anciens à têtes de femmes, feuillages et rouleaux, as well as `une boeste de modèles des bureaux à teste de femme et cartouches dans les entrejambes.' Gérard probably purchased various Boulle models after the latter's death to enrich his finest pieces.

These female angle  and floral handle mounts appear on the following:
-a bureau au plat in the collection of H.M. The Queen at Windsor Castle, Berkshire;
-another delivered to Machault d' Arnouville circa 1719 and sold with its cartonnier from the estate of Wendell Cherry, Sotheby's New York, 20th May 1994, lot 80;
-another from the collection of the Earls of Warwick, sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 18 May 1989, lot 93;
-another from a Parisian private collection illustrated in A. Pradère, op. cit., p.82, figs. 34 and 35
-a bureau delivered by Boulle to the Prince de Condé in 1720, which is now at Versailles, illustrated by Pierre Arizzoli-Clémental, op. cit.,. p. 44.

Nöel Gérard:
Noël Gérard ébéniste and marchand-mercier active between 1710-1736, is recorded as being established in rue du Faubourg-Saint- Antoine in 1719. His business prospered and he soon moved to the hôtel of the financier Jabach at the corner of the rue Saint-Martin in the financial and luxury goods quarter. In addition to his trade as an ébéniste he became one of the most important marchands-merciers in Paris. His illustrious clientele included the Comte de Clermont and the ex-King of Poland Stanislas Leczczynski amongst others. He also supplied furniture to foreign ambassadors such as the ambassador of Spain and the Marquis de Castellas. It is also recorded that ébénistes supplied him with carcasses.
He stocked mounts for various pieces and actually had bronzes chased in his own workshop for his own furniture.

Harlaxton Manor:
Harlaxton Manor in Harlaxton, Linconshire, England, built in 1837 by Sir George de Ligne Gregory combines Jacobean and Elizabethan architecture with symmetrical Baroque to create a house perhaps more exuberant than any surviving Elizabethan or Jacobean mansion. 
In 1835 it was described as `the beau ideal of an English Villa'.The original architect was Anthony Salvin (1779-1881), who was replaced by architect William Burn (1789-1870), in 1838, who was responsible for Harlaxton's interior detailing and completed and enlarged it circa 1837-55. George de Ligne Gregory was described in Country  Life 1906 as `a man possessed with a great love for art and architecture who had been for many years a collector of rare objects of vertu in Italy and France and made it the labour of his life to create a mansion  and estate with splendid gardens and surroundings, which should be the pride of Lincolnshire'.
The current house was built by Gregory from 1837 to 1845 and heralded a renaissance of Elizabethan architecture.  "Of three storeys, with a fourth in the gabled roofs, it advances and recedes, ascends and falls, juts, tapers, curves and overhangs in a most spirited manner." Upon Gregory's death, the manor was passed to his cousin George Gregory and then in 1860 to a distant relative, John Sherwin.  Upon the death of Sherwin's wife in 1892, it passed to his godson Thomas Sherwin Pearson who owned the house but allowed it to fall into disrepair.  Abandoned by 1925, the manor was purchased in 1937 by Violet van der Elst, the widow of a painter, who restored the manor.