A Louis XVI ormolu-mounted amaranth and citronnier secrétaire à abattant, circa 1780

in the manner of Saunier, with a bleu turquin marble top.

Sotheby Parke Bernet, Monaco, June 14, 1982, lot 497

Scattered minor nicks and scuffs. Horizontal age splits to fall front and lower doors, consistent with age and use, with two patches and several bands of replaced veneers. Gilt bronze and brass mounts with some rubbing, and a small (1 cm) area of brass fluting to lower proper right rear column lifting slightly, barely visible. Marble top in good condition with only a few minor chips, again barely visible. Inside of one of the lower doors with lifting to veneer but stable. Leather on interior of fall front later and in good condition. With two keys, the locks apparently original. IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PURCHASERS – CHANGE OF PROPERTY LOCATION POST SALE Purchasers may pay for and pick up their purchases at our York Avenue headquarters until the close of business on the day of each respective auction. After this time, sold property will be transferred to our new offsite facility, Crozier Fine Arts, One Star Ledger Plaza, 69 Court Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102. Once property has been transferred from our York Avenue location, it will not be available for collection at Crozier Fine Arts for two business days. Crozier's hours of operation for collection are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Please note, certain items of property, including jewelry, watches, silver, works on panel and items valued $10 million or more will remain at 1334 York Avenue. Invoices and statements will indicate your property's location. For more information regarding collection from our offsite facility, please visit sothebys.com/pickup.
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.

Claude-Charles Saunier (1735-1807), maître 1752, was one of the leading ébénistes of the later Louis XVI period, and one of his noteworthy innovations was the use of bois citronnier (satinwood) on a group of bonheurs-du-jour and secrétaires from 1785.  Although widespread in English furniture of the late Georgian era, satinwood was infrequently used by Parisian cabinetmakers, and Saunier often combined it with amaranth to exploit the contrast between the lighter and darker coloured veneers. In 1787 Saunier supplied a satinwood secrétaire to Versailles for the Duc d'Harcourt, tutor to the Dauphin (sold Sotheby's London, November 12, 1965, lot 41; ill. in A. Pradère, French Furniture Makers, London 1989, p.368 fig.40).  A virtually identical example was in the Alberto Bruni-Tedeschi Collection, sold Sotheby's London, March 21, 2007, lot 148 (30,000 GBP).