Secretary (secrétaire à abattant), 1783
Jean-Henri Riesener (French, 1734–1806) Oak veneered with ebony and
black and gold Japanese lacquer, tulipwood, holly and black stained
holly, amaranth, gilt-bronze mounts, white marble. Ordered from
Riesener together with a matching commode and encoignure (corner
cabinet) for use in Queen Marie Antoinette's cabinet intérieur at
Versailles in 1783, the secretary and the commode were sent several
years later to the Château of Saint Cloud. Based on their superb
quality, the mounts have been attributed to Pierre Gouthière
(1732–1813), the most famous Parisian bronzeworker of the late
eighteenth century who became doreur du roi (gilder to the king) in
1767.
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Below, the matching commode. Both pieces are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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