Louis XVI Period Chest Of Drawers By Master Cabinetmaker étienne Avril (1748-1791)

Sublime Louis XVI period chest of drawers stamped by Master Cabinetmaker Étienne Avril (1748-1791). Opening with five drawers on the front including three so-called broken drawers on the upper part with its original bronze handles and its interiors in burl mahogany and flamed mahogany. Fluted uprights topped with brass streaks, so-called spinning top legs garnished with chiseled bronze and a shoe placed on a ball. Perimeter of the piece of furniture richly trimmed with brass rods indicative of the work of Master Cabinetmaker Avril. This chest of drawers is simply of impeccable quality with its St Anne gray marble top, four centimeters thick! Free delivery throughout France! Enjoy your visit to our Gallery! For information: AVRIL Étienne Etienne Avril (1748-1791) – cabinetmaker – mastery obtained on November 23, 1774: Cabinetmaker under the reign of Louis XVI, Etienne Avril is characterized by his furniture with panels framed with bronze rods. Called Avril the elder so as not to confuse him with his brother Pierre, Etienne Avril, opened his main boutique on rue de Charenton, at the corner of rue Moreau but also a few stores near Porte Saint-Antoine. He was asked for numerous commissions, notably from Queen Marie-Antoinette for her apartment at the Château de Saint-Cloud. During his activity as a cabinetmaker, Etienne Avril sold “a quantity of chests of drawers, consoles, bookcases, secretaries and chests of drawers in mahogany and Indian wood, bedside tables, etc.”. His furniture is most often in mahogany and satin. They are characterized by rigorous and simple lines and large plain surfaces, typical of the style of Louis XVI. Avril's work also consists, but in less quantity, of furniture in lemon veneer, rosewood and a few models in geometric marquetry. The shapes are clean, light, well proportioned, the bronzes almost absent, visible only at the keyholes and sometimes in the form of fine framing strips which highlight the architecture of the furniture. Finally, although less frequent, he creates some furniture and tric trac tables in mahogany. At the dawn of the Revolution, Etienne Avril sold his shop on rue de Charenton to keep only the stores at Porte Saint-Antoine. After his death, several auctions, lasting several days each time, were organized in order to empty them of the countless number of his accumulated goods.