Alfred-Emmanuel-Louis Beurdeley, 1847-1919 A pair of Louis XVI style gilt bronze-mounted ebony, ebonized and burr Ambonya consoles Paris, second half 19th century

each console fitted with a central drawer, several bronze mounts have been removed to reveal the mark BY from the bronze master models

Overall in fair condition. Marble tops probably not original to the consoles. As a Beurdeley firm pair of consoles, the gilt bronze work is of the highest caliber. However, they show tarnishing, scratches and wear consistent with age and use. Both consoles will need professional restoration as the brass banding framing the ebony veneers are lifting up. Some parts of molding are detached but available, some brass banding pieces are detached but also available. These detached parts have not been counted and we do not know if all detached parts will be present. Please note that on each console a large gilt bronze mount is a later replacement to the backside support. One backside support of each console, one can notice a loss to the gilt bronze pearl banding of approx. 5 in. long--this banding is not present. The frieze of the consoles are decorated with floral garlands, comprising swags and vertical drops, one vertical drop is detached from a console and is available and will need to be reattached professionally.
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.

See lot 423 in the present sale for the commode by Beurdeley en suite with the present lot

Louis-Auguste-Alfred Beurdeley (1808-1882) and his son Alfred-Emmanuel-Louis (1847-1919) specialized in re-creations of the most magnificent articles from the Garde Meuble National. The firm exhibited and won awards at all of the major international exhibitions during the second half of the nineteenth century. The quality and skill employed in their production was exceptional; their ormolu mounts with mercurial gilding and hand chasing were often difficult to distinguish from late eighteenth-century examples, and were considered the finest in Paris. The firm was pioneered by Jean Beurdeley (1772-1853), later managed by his son Louis-Auguste-Alfred, and finally imparted to his son Alfred-Emmanuel-Louis in 1875.  The firm was established at 32 and 34 Rue Louis-Le-Grand, and also owned the pavillion de Hanovre, where it was based while Alfred-Emmanuel-Louis added two additional workshops at 20 and 24 Rue Dautancourt by 1875. The Beurdeley workshops closed in 1896, although still partially active until 1898, and the stock was sold at a number of auctions conducted by the Galerie Georges Petit of Paris. Two auction catalogues of the collection were published in 1895 and sales were held between March 6-8 and May 27-28.

The Beurdeley firm was a favorite of the European aristocracy. Their patrons, to name a few, were the duc d'Aumale at the Chateau de Chantilly and Napoléon III at the Tuilleries Palace, and in addition to the French nobility, the Rothschild family and Sir Richard Wallace and the titans of the American Gilded Age like Cornelius Vanderbilt at his Newport 'cottage', The Breakers (see in C. Mestdagh, L'ameublement d'art français: 1850-1900, Paris, 2010, pp. 128-123) are also recorded as clients of Beurdeley dynasty.