Commode
ca. 1725- 1740 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This commode, or decorative chest of drawers, carries the stamp of the Parisian cabinetmaker Jean-Charles Saunier, one of a family of cabinetmakers who worked from the 1730s until the end of the 18th century. Jean-Charles Saunier became a master cabinetmaker in 1743. The question of whether he made this piece or simply added his stamp later when it came into his workshop for repair is still a matter for discussion. In France, furniture was regularly sent to a cabinetmaker for repair, cleaning of the gilt-bronze mounts or repolishing.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 7 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Carcase of oak and softwood, veneered with parquetry in kingwood, bloodwood (bois satiné) and rosewood; gilt-bronze mounts; slab of griotte marble (Pyrénées orientale). |
| Brief description | Commode 'en tombeau', or 'tomb-shaped', with two large drawers below two half-width drawers, the whole with bombé sides and a serpentine outline, on low feet, with a deep apron in the centre front. The commode is veneered with kingwood, bloodwood (bois satiné) and rosewood, on a carcase of oak and softwood, the mounts of gilded brass, with female heads at the top, front corners, the drawer handles with backplates cast with oak-leaves. The top is of red marble (Pyrénées orientale). |
| Physical description | A commode 'en tombeau', or 'tomb-shaped', with two large drawers below two half-width drawers, the whole with bombé sides and a serpentine outline, on low feet, with a deep apron in the centre front. The commode is veneered with kingwood, bloodwood (bois satiné) and rosewood, on a carcase of oak and softwood, the mounts of gilded brass, with female heads at the top, front corners, the drawer handles with backplates cast with oak-leaves. The top is of red marble (Pyrénées orientale). |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by C. C. T. Giles |
| Object history | Charles Colman Tyrell Giles (1892-1953), who bequeathed this commode to the Museum, inherited it from his parents, who had bought it in about 1895, from the collection of a Mrs William, who believed that it had been in the collection of Marie Antoinette, and bought in the early 19th-century by 'Admiral Jones, who lived in Brittany'. It has not been possible to substantiate this story. |
| Summary | This commode, or decorative chest of drawers, carries the stamp of the Parisian cabinetmaker Jean-Charles Saunier, one of a family of cabinetmakers who worked from the 1730s until the end of the 18th century. Jean-Charles Saunier became a master cabinetmaker in 1743. The question of whether he made this piece or simply added his stamp later when it came into his workshop for repair is still a matter for discussion. In France, furniture was regularly sent to a cabinetmaker for repair, cleaning of the gilt-bronze mounts or repolishing. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.5:1 to 7-1954 |
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| Record created | October 28, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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