Stockel - Louis XVI Period Living Room Commode In Flamed Mahogany And Gilt Bronze, Stamp & Jme

Beautiful chest of drawers in mahogany veneer on oak and solid mahogany. With fluted uprights resting on spindle legs, it opens with 3 large drawers, the one under the belt is thinner. Fine decoration of chiseled and mercury-gilded bronzes such as asparagus grooves, drawer frames with rows of pearls, handles with rosettes and rings, rings and acanthus leaf clogs. It is topped with a thick white veined marble, original and whose moldings follow the reliefs of the facade. Work from the Louis XVI period, characteristic of the last days of the old regime, just before the revolution. (late 1780s). High quality work, it bears the stamp of a great Parisian cabinetmaker: Joseph Stockel, struck twice with the JME hallmark. (we know of two Stockel stamps, this one being that of the end of his career, without the J) Joseph Stöckel (1743-1802), settled in France before 1769, was made master in 1775 and established himself on rue de Charenton, then under the Revolution, rue des Fossés du Temple. He worked for the Count of Provence for whom he notably made four chests of drawers. Its production, exclusively in the Louis XVI style, is mainly composed of furniture, such as here, veneered with large mahogany sheets, the lines highlighted by bronze rods. Our chest of drawers does not bear any inventory marks allowing its origin to be determined, but its workmanship is of princely quality. In addition to the elegance of the lines, we can note numerous details denoting very careful production: the use of flamed mahogany which was rare under Louis XVI and reserved for the most beautiful furniture at the end of the reign, the very finely chiseled bronzes, mahogany which is used in large sheets taking the entire width of the piece of furniture or the entire length, in one piece. The corner posts are solid mahogany, including the pilasters at the back, as well as the drawer fronts. The drawers are semi-covering on the crossbars to reveal only a very elegant molding which punctuates the facade, and which is repeated on the lower crossbar and on the marble. Our beautiful chest of drawers has been restored with a new buffer varnish. Excellent general condition (an old crack on the right side). Height: 89 cm Width: 130 cm Depth: 57 cm