A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY DRESSING TABLE circa 1780, stamped twice J.H. Riesener, partially reveneered

Christie's London, Espirito Santo Collection, December 12, 1996, lot 19
Christie's London, December 14, 2000, lot 196

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.

This dressing table, which dates from Riesener's late period, 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, including Robinet, commis au secrétariat d'Etat de la Maison du Roi to whom, in 1783, a mahogany desk of this shape was delivered; see Daniel Alcouffe, Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Vol. I., Dijon, 1992, p. 276. An inventory dating from 1790-1791, describes this table as un bureau de bois d'acajou encastré de maroquin noir, 3 tiroirs de face ornés de bronze, anneaux, sabots et socle en couleur d'or molou. Tables of this model, all somberly mounted with minimal ormolu and executed with large sheets of mahogany veneer to emphasize the natural beauty of the wood, include a dressing table sold Christie's Monaco, June 15, 1997, lot 171, a games table sold Sotheby's New York, May 21, 1985, lot 168 and another dressing table attributed to Riesener at the Château de Versailles; see Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel, Versailles, Furniture of the Royal Palace, Vol. 2, Dijon, 2002, pp. 156-157. Dressing tables of this design by Riesener but with richer ormolu mounts, such as this lot, are much rarer 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.