A RUSSIAN ROCOCO TULIPWOOD AND MARQUETRY GAMES TABLE, CIRCA 1770 |

bearing a stamp HACHE AGRENOBLE

Galerie Maurice Segoura, Paris

In very good conserved condition, with old restorations to age cracks and scattered infill and patches to veneer. Replaced leather gaming surface with a tear along the fold. Beautiful example of floral marquetry design with handsomely figured veneers.
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 exquisite table is typical of the extremely high-quality marquetry furniture produced by St Petersburg cabinetmakers in the second half of the eighteenth century, heavily influenced by the designs of German and English craftsmen such as Abraham and David Roentgen, Mayhew & Ince and the Linnell brothers.  Many artisans working in the Russian capital were of German origin, notably the court cabinetmaker Christian Meyer, who in c.1795 supplied a pair of marquetry games tables with inlaid gaming surfaces comparable to that on the present lot to Catherine the Great's private apartments in the Winter Palace (sold Christie's London, July 7, 2011, lot 29, £301,250).
Another games table with similar inlay on the gaming surface is in the Kuskovo Palace, Moscow, ill. The Art of Marquetry in Eighteenth Century Russian (Moscow 1989), p.135-37.
The apocryphal stamp HACHE A GRENOBLE refers to the 18th-century cabinetmaking dynasty of the Hache family in Grenoble, whose most famous members were Pierre (1705-1776) and his son Jean-François (1730-1796).  The latter is known to have trained in Paris with the royal cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben and particularly specialized in refined Louis XV works with highly sophisticated floral marquetry designs similar to those on this table.