123. 123W An important Louis XVI ormolu-mounted polychrome-decorated vernis Martin, kingwood, amaranth and ebonised secrétaire à abattant stamped by Léonard Boudin and attributed to André-Louis Gilbert, circa 1775 The vernis attributed to the Martin frères, decorated overall with chinoiserie panelled scenes, the white-veined rouge griotte marble top above frieze drawer mounted with beaded flutes and entrelac repoussé moulding, the fall-front depicting a courtly chinoiserie scene with elegant figures in a terraced garden with children playing, within an interlacing motif encadrement with cut-corners and with flowerhead motifs to the angles, enclosing an interior fitted with four pigeon holes and six small drawers, the lower right one with inkwell compartments, lacking implements, the writing surface lined in green leather, the canted sides surmounted by upswept acanthus chutes, above two doors decorated with a temple in a garden with a Chinese pheasant, the interior fitted with one shelf, the spreading sides with further panels depicting various garden scenes, on bracket feet, stamped 'L.BOUDIN' and 'JME' to the upper carcase , 98cm wide, 42cm deep, 143cm high (38 1/2in wide, 16 1/2in deep, 56in high). Provenance Acquired at Pietro Accorsi, Turin, 11 December 1958; Thence by descent to present vendor. Léonard Boudin, maître ébéniste in 1761. André-Louis Gilbert, maître ébéniste in 1774. This secrétaire à abattant is closely related to an almost identical secrétaire as well stamped by Léonard Boudin, acquired by Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt., in October 1924 from L. Kraemer (for FF 100.000) for the library of his London residence at 25 Park Lane, W1. This near pair to our secrétaire was later on moved to the family residence Houghton Hall, Norfolk, and subsequently sold by the Cholmondeley family, Works of Art from Houghton, Christie's London, 8 December 1994, lot 74 (sold £177.500 incl. buyers premium) (see T. Wolvesperges, Le Meuble Français en Laque au XVIIIe Siècle, Paris, 1999, p.239, ill.118). Interestingly, the almost identical Houghton secrétaire à abattant bears a trade marchand's label of 'FILAINE ET COMPAGNIE MARCHANDS' dated 23 May 1776. It is therefore safe to assume that the manufacture date of both secrétaires was 1775. The inventory after the death of Madame Boudin in 1777 records that Monsieur Filaine (marchand) owed Boudin 12.578 livres for supplying furniture. The August 1775 bill remained outstanding, but was finally settled by Filaine in 1776 (see P. Lemonnier, 'Boudin ébéniste et marchand', L'Estampille/L'Objet d'Art, June 1989, pp. 38-42).