Jean François Leleu - Gateleg Folding Table In Solid Mahogany, Louis XVI Period

Rare folding dining table called gateleg in solid mahogany, oak and mahogany veneer, all varnished in the traditional way. Folded, it takes the form of a thin console to be placed along the wall. Two legs out of 4 are articulated by a clever mechanism that allows them to unfold at 90° and thus raise one or two extensions. End of the Louis XVI period, around 1790 just before the Revolution. It bears the stamp of one of the most prestigious cabinetmakers of the Old Regime: JF LELEU Jean-François Leleu (1729 - September 3, 1807) - Joiner-cabinetmaker - Paris. Master, 1764. "Supplier of the royal castles". He was one of the most famous cabinetmakers of his time. Jean-François Leleu is rightly considered one of the most talented cabinetmakers of his time. After an apprenticeship, as a simple worker, in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he entered, as a journeyman, the famous cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, cabinetmaker of the Roy, installed at the Arsenal. His colleague Jean-Henri Riesener will succeed Oeben after his death in 1763. Leleu, disappointed, then passes his master's degree, which he obtains in 1764 and opens his own workshop rue de la Contrescarpe, workshop which he leaves, shortly after. , for larger premises, rue Royale. His reputation is growing very quickly. In particular, he became the main supplier of the Prince of Condé, who ordered numerous pieces of furniture from him for his various residences. In 1780, he took on as a partner his son-in-law Charles-Antoine Stadler, to whom he left his establishment around 1792. In his early days, still under the influence of Oeben, Leleu's furniture was grandiose and sumptuous, but gradually , it acquires more sobriety. His works, then very personal, are of great simplicity, with perfect proportions and the finish of the execution as the choice of materials are remarkable. Leleu produced a multitude of neoclassical Louis XVI furniture, "Greek style", with robust, very architectural forms. The marquetry used has regular patterns, grids adorned with four leaves or rosettes which extend over the entire surface of the square, rectangular or diamond-shaped panels, always delimited by a darker wood or bronze frame which reinforces the large volumes of furniture. Leleu furniture can be found in the greatest museums and collections. Our piece of furniture is at the height of the Master: everything is of excellent manufacturing quality: oak structure (a sign of high quality furniture when the majority of 18th century furniture is mounted on fir), beautiful tail assemblies dovetail, solid mahogany (very good quality) for the top and mahogany veneer for the crosspieces. Our table is in excellent condition. Very shiny buffer varnish cleaned by our cabinetmaker. There are no accidents to report. Everything is original Beautiful amateur piece, perfectly suited to a collector's Parisian apartment. Ideal format for a comfortable dinner for 4, or even 6. This is really an interesting model, the work of a great 18th century "designer", magnificent lines where nothing has been left to chance. A piece of furniture of very high quality but which remains discreet without being "flashy". Connoisseurs will admire it, others will pass by without seeing it... Depth in closed console position 33 cm Table width 119 cm. Length with a single flap 92cm Maximum length with 2 flaps fitted 155cm