A gilt-bronze-mounted brass inlaid première-partie boulle marquetry and ebonised bureau plat by the Béfort Dynasty, after the model by André-Charles Boulle in Régence style, second half 19th century

with a rectangular gilt-bronze banded inset tooled leather top with a gilt-bronze clasp at each corner above a recessed frieze drawer with a female mask flanked by a shaped drawer on either side, the knees mounted by female busts cast with acanthus, each side with bacchic mask, on cabriole legs terminating in acanthus cast paw feet, the whole inlaid with scrolling foliage and with gilt-bronze mouldings, the mounts stamped on the reverse `BF' and numbered `162' or `92'

In overall very good conserved condition. Strong model. Gilding less greenish and more golden and attractive than in the catalogue photograph. Nice detail to casting of mounts which have some very minor verde gris. .
"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:
Jean Nérée Ronfort, André-Charles Boulle 1642-1732, Un nouveau style pour l'Europe, Paris, 2009, pp. 236-237 and 238-239.

This sumptuous bureau plat with its recessed central drawer and female mask corner mounts, by the Béfort Dynasty, is based upon a series of celebrated bureaux plats with female masks produced around 1715-20 in the workshop of the most important French ébéniste of the Louis XIV period, André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), see Ronfort, op. cit., pp. 236-237, where he illustrates a bureau plat in première-partie boulle marquetry made for the Prince of Condé now in Versailles and another related one in contre-partie belonging to Mlle de Choiseul, illustrated op. cit., pp. 238-239. Boulle usually worked in tortoiseshell and brass marquetry, however, 18th century examples are also recorded in amaranth and ebony. Boulle also produced models with satyr mask chutes. Similar desks are in the Wallace Collection in London, the Getty Museum in California, the Frick Collection in New York. Many 19th century copies of this Boulle model were made in the 19th century by some of the leading ébénistes of the time, one such being the offered example.

The Befort Dynasty:
Mathieu Béfort (1813-1880) known as Béfort Jeune was located at 1 and 6 rue Neuve-Saint-Gilles in Paris from 1844 to 1880. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Béfort (1783-1840), who was of Belgian origin and renowned for having supplied furniture for the apartments of the Duc d'Orléans. His older brother Bernard Béfort was active between 1836 and 1858, which was the date after which Mathieu took over the business until 1878. As a gifted ébèniste-marqueteur he specialized in Boulle-style marquetry and in particular high quality work inspired by the work of André-Charles-Boulle himself.  Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener reputedly took over the Béfort firm in around 1880.