- 188
A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY DRESSING TABLE circa 1780, stamped twice J.H. Riesener, partially reveneered
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), maître in 1768
- leather, mahogany, bronze, oak, glass
- height 30 in.; width 35 in.; depth 19 1/2 in.
- 76.5 cm; 89 cm; 49.5 cm
Provenance
Espirito Santo Collection, Christie's London, December 12, 1996, lot 19.
Christie's London, December 14, 2000, lot 196.
Christie's London, December 14, 2000, lot 196.
Condition
With scattered age and construction cracks; not extensive. Mahogany with scattered age cracks; most to folding side panels of top. Scattered small restorations to mahogany. Refinished. Upper mounts of legs loose. Ormolu with rubbing, some oxidation and surface dirt. Ormolu ring on left drawer loose. Mirror plate with losses to silvering on reverse. In good condition.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
This dressing table is an unusually richly mounted variant of the model. Riesener is known to have delivered a number of very similar tables (games, dressing and writing tables) to the Garde Meuble in the late 1770s and the 1780s. These tables were most often used in the quarters of the royal family and members of its closest circle. Tables of this model are all somberly mounted with minimal ormolu and executed with large sheets of mahogany veneer to emphasize the natural beauty of the wood. Dressing tables of this design with rich ormolu mounts by Riesener, such as this lot, are rare and include one delivered to Marie Antoinette at the Tuileries in 1784 at a cost of 1560 livres; see Pierre Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal Français, Vol. II, Cahors, 1990, pp. 93-95.