A LOUIS XVI GILT BRONZE-MOUNTED MAHOGANY AND AMARANTH CONSOLE DESSERTE BY RIESENER, CIRCA 1785 |

with a white marble top, stamped J H RiesenerJean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), maître in 1768

The Misses E.G., A.K. and B.J. Milligan, Caldwell Hall, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Christie's London, November 24, 1960, lot 103
Christie's London, May 9, 1983, lot 109
Christie's New York, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Groves, October 15, 1988, lot 114

In good condition with only minor scattered marks, scratches and small losses. Some repaired horizontal age splits to parquetry back panel. A few gilt bronze borders slightly bent and loose in place but nothing significant. Minor rubbing and marks to gilt bronze throughout. Drawer pulls on the side have been re-positioned, and the front drawer probably originally with ring pulls, with plugged holes on the inside of the drawers. Leaf tip of one sabot on front foot missing, visible in catalogue photograph. Marble with scattered scratches and marks and a restored chip to one front corner proper right, visible in catalogue photograph. Underside of top section now with a lighting tube attached; this is functioning but can be removed. One key.
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.

Arguably the greatest Parisian ébéniste of the Louis XVI period and Marie-Antoinette's most important cabinetmaker, Jean-Henri Riesener produced this console desserte during the final years of the Ancien Régime, at a time when furniture designed specifically for the dining room was still relatively new in France.  This was partly influenced by the Anglomanie fashion for all things English that developed following the historic 1786 trade agreement between Paris and London, which also contributed to the increasing popularity of mahogany as a primary wood in French furniture construction.
The use of a fine trellis parquetry with a double line of sycamore and ebony inlaid into a darker ground was introduced by Riesener in the mid 1780s and referred to in contemporary documents as satiné gris. It appears notably on the furniture Riesener supplied the Queen for her apartments at the Tuileries palace in 1784 including a rolltop desk now in the Louvre (OA 5226) and a table de toilette now in the Petit Trianon (D. Meyer, Le mobilier de Versailles, Dijon 2002, Vol.I no.63).  The acanthus and pinecone finial apron mount and square acanthus sabots on the present lot are typical Riesener bronzes that appear on numerous pieces by him including a commode in the Trianon illustrated in A. Pradère, French Furniture Makers: The Art of the Ébéniste from Louis XIV to the Revolution (London 1989), p.382, fig.467, as well as on smaller console dessertes, one example also in the Trianon and another in the Frick Collection.
When the present lot was in the collection of the Milligan Sisters in England it was accompanied by a matched console desserte attributed to Riesener of slightly smaller proportions, in tulipwood and amaranth rather than mahogany, but with identical mounts and trellis parquetry.  Both tables were sold in the Caldwell Hall sale in 1960 and appeared again as separate lots at Christie's London in 1983. The unstamped table was sold Sotheby's New York, October 31, 1987, lot 133.