Commode
1755-1760 (made)
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This commode is typical of the small, elegant, ingenious pieces of furniture which were created in Paris between 1750 and 1800. The top drawer was fitted for writing and small valuables could also be locked away. It is veneered with a type of marquetry, in contrasting woods, that was also newly fashionable. The tulipwood ground would originally have been a bright pinky brown, contrasting with the darker purplewood bands. Although greatly favoured, both woods lost their original colour quickly through oxidisation. Several cabinet-makers’ workshops used this technique, including those of Bernard van Risamburgh II (working 1730-1767), who supplied goods to the marchand-mercier (dealer in luxury goods), Thomas-Joachim Hébert (1687-1773). This commode is probably not by van Risamburgh but by one of those workshops who imitated his technique. On the top, a marquetry panel of flowers is composed of bois de bout (end-grain) marquetry, in kingwood. This technique uses pieces cut across the grain, to exploit the visual effect of the growth rings.
Object details
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| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Veneered in kingwood, tulipwood and purplewood on a carcase of oak and pine; lacquered brass mounts |
| Brief description | Small commode, the carcase of oak and pine, veneered with tulipwood and purplewood, with marquetry of endgrain kingwood, in the manner of Bernard van Risamburgh II, Paris, 1755-1760. |
| Physical description | A small commode, on tall cabriole legs, with serpentine outline on all four sides, the front set with three drawers. The commode is veneered in tulipwood, kingwood and purplewood on a carcase of oak and pine, the marquetry consisting of framing scrolls in purplewood against the tulipwood ground and flowers on the top in bois de bout or end-grain marquetry in kingwood. The feet, edges of the legs and lower carcase, and the upper corners of the commode are set with mounts, almost certainly of lacquered brass. The upper drawer was originally set with a writing slide, which could cover the drawer and convert it into a writing surface when pulled out. This was removed, probably, in the mid-19th century. The front of thedrawer is set with a compartment for an inkwell. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | Acquired by John Jones before 1882. Bequeathed by him to the V&A in 1882. What appears to be a 19th-century copy of this small commode is in the Faringdon Collection, Buscot Park, on show in the drawing-room. Illustrations are in the departmental object file. |
| Historical context | This small commode, fitted for writing, is one of the many forms of small, adaptable furniture that were invented by the Parisian furniture-makers of the second half of the 19th century. John Jones may have acquired this and 1019-1882 to form a pair, because of the similarity of their form. |
| Production | With later alterations, including the removal of a writing slide from the top drawer, this alteration probably made between 1840 and 1880. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This commode is typical of the small, elegant, ingenious pieces of furniture which were created in Paris between 1750 and 1800. The top drawer was fitted for writing and small valuables could also be locked away. It is veneered with a type of marquetry, in contrasting woods, that was also newly fashionable. The tulipwood ground would originally have been a bright pinky brown, contrasting with the darker purplewood bands. Although greatly favoured, both woods lost their original colour quickly through oxidisation. Several cabinet-makers’ workshops used this technique, including those of Bernard van Risamburgh II (working 1730-1767), who supplied goods to the marchand-mercier (dealer in luxury goods), Thomas-Joachim Hébert (1687-1773). This commode is probably not by van Risamburgh but by one of those workshops who imitated his technique. On the top, a marquetry panel of flowers is composed of bois de bout (end-grain) marquetry, in kingwood. This technique uses pieces cut across the grain, to exploit the visual effect of the growth rings. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1093:1 to 5-1882 |
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| Record created | April 6, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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