A LOUIS XIV STYLE GILT-BRONZE MOUNTED TORTOISESHELL, TINTED HORN, BRASS AND TIN MARQUETRY CABINET BY JOSEPH CREMER, THIRD QUARTER OF 19TH CENTURY, AFTER ANDRÉ-CHARLES BOULLE AND ETIENNE LEVASSEUR |

the brèche d'Alep marble top above a facade opening with one door, and each side with four drawers ; stamped four times CREMER / MARQUETEUR under the marble top, with the Cremer printed commercial label

Related literature
C. Payne, Paris, la quintessence du meuble au XIXe siècle, Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 2018, p. 94 and pp. 118-119

Illustration is accurate. Good overall condition. Very nice gilding and chasing from a good cabinet maker. Ready to display
"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."

During the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, André-Charles Boulle led the evolution and created several innovative forms of furniture, including the cabinet on stand. Being the first to employ gilt bronzes and marquetry and its counterpart contributed to the furnituremaker's fame and the cabinet "with figure of Louis XIV" kept at the Louvre is evidence of his expertise (inv OA 5468). These furniture pieces progressed during the 18th century and several cabinet makers including Etienne Levasseur earned a reputation as restorers of Boulle furniture, but also as designer of formats directly inspired by him. The disaffection for the cabinet on stand then brought changes, the side cabinet was heavily favored and responded to the demands based on the latest interior decoration trends. It actually was necessary to leave a large surface above the furniture in order to affix paintings onto the walls. Among the creations from the second half of the 18th century, we can include the side cabinets from the Louvre collections (OA 5453 and OA 5454) and the cabinet stamped by Levasseur within the collection of the Count and Countess of Ribes (Sotheby's auction, Paris, 11 December 2019).  

The renewed interest in Boulle's productions after Louis-Philippe's reign, perhaps reinforced by the exhibition of a pair of cabinets from the 4th Marquess of Hertford's collection during a retrospective held at the Wallace Collection in 1865 (Wallace Collection, inv F391-2), allowed cabinetmakers such as Sormani, Dasson, Linke or Zwiener to make exact copies of these cabinets. Fourdinois presented a reproduction at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1878 and Sir Anthony Nathan de Rothschild had a pair made for his residence at Aston Clinton (Christie's auction, London, 13 June 1923, lot 88, now attributed to Winckelsen, see C. Payne, 118). It is intriguing to note that these replicas, like the one presented here, adapt for most of them the marquetry along the horizontal table above the feet and under the lion claws. These elements were added to enhance several furniture items and side cabinets for the palaces at Tuileries and Saint-Cloud, notably during the first half of the 19th century.

 

Joseph Cremer (1811-1878) was one of King Louis-Philippe's suppliers. In addition to his copies of Boulle furniture for which he was renowned, he created models and exhibited many times, including the Exposition of Industry Products in 1839 (medal of honor), 1844 (bronze medal) and 1849 (silver medal), then the 1851 and 1862 Universal Expositions of London, and of Paris in 1855. It was during the Exposition of 1855 that he displayed "Boulle furniture, with marquetry obtained via electroplating", a technique industrialized a few years earlier by Christofle and that he perfected for furniture.