45. 45W Commode d'époque Louis XV de Joseph Schmitz en marqueterie de bois de rose, amarante, ébène, bois fruitier et bois teinté, incrustations de nacre, ornementation de bronze ciselé et doré, milieu du XVIIIe siècle A Louis XV ormolu-mounted mother-of-pearl inlaid tulipwood, amaranth, ebony, green-stained wood and fruitwood marquetry bombé marquetry commode by Joseph Schmitz, mid-18th century The shaped moulded brèche d'Alep marble top above two drawers inlaid sans traverse with floral and foliate sprays, exotic birds, butterflies and other insects within C-scroll encadrements, with pierced chutes and rocaille handles and escutcheons and conforming apron mount surmounted by an foliate bearded inlaid and engraved mask with mother-of-pearl eyes, the sides conformingly inlaid with floral sprays, stamped 'J.SCHMITZ' (partly obliterated) and 'JME', 146cm wide x 63.5cm deep x 87.5cm high, (57in wide x 25in deep x 34in high) Provenance: Sale, Versailles, 15 November 1987. With Röbbig, Munich. The Rosa Alba Collection. Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, 1998, p. 796; Exhibition Calatogue Hetjens-Museums, Deutsches Keramikmuseum, Düsseldorf, Januar-April 1997: Frühes Meissner Porzellan, Kostbarkeiten aus deutschen Privatsammlungen, 1997, p.195. Joseph Schmitz, maître ébéniste in 1761. This elegant commode is profusely inlaid with a pattern of floral sprays, birds and butterflies, which was the specialty of Joseph Schmitz. The delicate mother-of-pearl inlays to the birds and to the masks above the apron give this rare commode a powerful and special effect demonstrating his talent as a talented marqueteur. Joseph Schmitz was born in Paris and worked in the Rue de Caronne, yet little else is known about his career. The present commode was almost certainly executed just after Schmitz obtained his maîtrise, when his work shows similarities to that of his contemporary Pierre III Migeon, who, also became a master in 1761. A pair of Louis XV marquetry commodes by Schmitz are conserved at the Huntington Library and Art Gallery, in San Marino, while other commodes are in prestigious collections, such as the red lacquer Louis XV commode, formerly in the Espirito Santo Collection, later sold Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 14 June 1955. Other related commodes were sold at auction: Christie's Paris, 29 April 2015, lot 667.