A gilt-bronze mounted tulipwood, amaranth and bois de bout table en chiffonnière, Louis XV, attributed to Bernard II Van Risen Burgh dit B. V. R. B.

the sliding top with a bouquet of flowers, the front with a drawer forming a writing desk and two other drawers, the lateral panels with handles, on curved legs

Collection of Baron and Baronne Guy de Rothschild, hôtel de la princesse Mathilde, Paris
Collection of Baron de Redé, hôtel Lambert, Paris
Sotheby's, Paris, Collection du baron de Redé provenant de l'hôtel Lambert, 16 March 2005, lot 125

Literature references:
P. Kjellberg, Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle, dictionnaire des ébénistes et des menuisiers, Paris, 1989, pp. 128-142.
F. J. B. Watson, The Wrightsman collection. Furniture, vol. 1, New York, 1966, pp. 264-265, n. 132

The illustration of the catalogue is accurate despite being too orange. There are some restorations to the veneer with 'gomme laque' paste filling. There are restored shrinkage cracks to the marquetry of the top. There is an horizontal restoration with a tiny piece of wood to the inside of the back panel. The green velvet of the writing table is later and slightly rubbed. The chutes and feet have good ormolu traces. The escutcheons have a less good quality and could be replaced. As for lot 65 the handles are a later addition and can be removed. Beautiful table en chiffonnière attributed to BVRB, one of the most famous cabinetmaker of the mid-18th century. As lot 65, very delicate marquetry. Prestigious Rothschild and Redé provenances.
"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."

These two pieces of furniture, lots 65 and 66, belong to a small group of very homogeneous furniture stamped or attributed to Bernard II Van Risen Burgh (B. V. R. B.) and made during the 1760s. Son of Bernard I, he rapidly reached an important notoriety and produced for wealthy clientele via decorative art dealers such as Thomas-Joachim Hébert, Lazare Duvaux, and Simon-Philippe Poirier. For a decade during the 1760s, at the end of his career, the cabinetmaker developed marquetry with rosewood against a ground of tulipwood, framed by foliate scrolls in amaranth wood. After the exuberance of Rococo, the shape but also the decoration were simpler: this affinity is also found with Oeben and Riesener. The secrétaire-bookshelf by B. V. R. B., delivered in 1755 for King Louis XV at the Trianon by the dealer Lazare Duvaux, now housed in the Tessé Museum in Le Mans, perfectly illustrates the type of decoration found on the top of the present chiffonier table. The facades of our two furniture items, with a trellis of contrasting chevron threading, can be compared to that of a table attributed to B. V. R. B. and auctioned by Piasa on 7 December 2011, lot 246.

Bronzes highlighting the curves of the furniture, and more particularly the angle swags with elongated coin motifs as seen in lot 65, are similar to those on the chiffonier table from the former Wrightsman collection (ill. in F. J. B. Watson) as well as that of the table in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London (inv. 1019: 1 to 6-1882). The bronzes of lot 66, decorated with acanthus leaves and flowers are similar to those on the table sold by Piasa and those of the chiffonier table stamped B.V.R.B. formerly in the collection of L. and E. Sheafer, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 1974.356.187). The latter also presents a certain similarity with our table, in the use of the amaranth reserve which outlines the apron.

Our stamped table (lot 65) bears a French inscription in ink “3 silvered pieces”. Here one recognises the custom of the dealer Simon-Philippe Poirier, of which B.V.R.B. was one of the appointed cabinet makers, in order to communicate instructions to the manufacturers of the silver-plated ink wells in the drawer compartments. A similar lettering can be found on the fall-front secretaire desk by B. V. R. B. of the Earl of Coventry, delivered in 1763 and now housed at the Legion of Honour Museum in San Francisco.