Consulate Period Console In Flamed Mahogany, Attributed To Molitor - Mercury Gilt Bronzes

Mahogany Consulat period console table with a mirror background, topped with a turquoise blue. It rests on two sheathed busts of winged women, ending in lion paws. Rich chased bronze trim and mercury gilt in matte and shiny: diamonds, palmettes in the corners. It is topped with a luxurious marble, turquoise blue which follows with a recess that of the console which widens towards the rear on either side of the front pilasters. The back is decorated with a superb mercury mirror, with sparkling tin over the entire surface. Parisian work entirely veneered on oak. Production of fine quality from the Consulate period or early Empire, years 1800-1805, to be compared to the work of Bernard Molitor or an equivalent cabinetmaker. Bernard Molitor (1755 - November 17, 1833) - cabinetmaker in Paris, master on October 26, 1787. Molitor quickly became one of the leading Parisian cabinetmakers and received commissions from the Court as early as 1788. Thierry de Ville d'Avray, general commissioner of the Garde Meuble de la Couronne, was seduced by the austere elegance of his productions and also eager to moderate royal spending. Highly innovative, Molitor was a precursor of the Empire style, one of the main artisans of this "Transition Louis XVI Empire" style. From the end of the Louis XVI era, he announced the Empire style by using on his refined furniture, decorated with bronzes, busts of Egyptian women, motifs of ivy leaves wrapped around detached columns as well as friezes of stylized palmettes or winged griffins which would be commonly used under the Empire. Several pieces of furniture signed by Molitor feature sheath figures placed at 45°, as on our console. At the forefront of creation during the revolutionary period, he went through this period without difficulty. In 1802, he moved his workshops to rue Saint-Honoré, then, under the Empire, to boulevard de la Madeleine. Molitor continued his career until the Restoration, meeting with great success, even if he did not benefit from important orders from the Emperor and then from the Court. He ended his days near Fontainebleau, where he died in 1833. A beautiful amateur piece, one of the most beautiful Empire consoles we have had in the last 10 years. The console is in excellent condition; it has been fully restored (newly re-varnished), gilt bronzes cleaned. The marble is intact (small chip under the left corner). The base was formerly fitted with a mercury glass from the same period as the console. Width: 130cm Height: 91cm