LOUIS XV PERIOD CHEST OF DRAWERS Stamped by Mathieu Criaerd and Nicolas Bernard In violet wood veneer, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation with a crowned C, Griotte red marble top, the front decorated with cross marquetry opening with two drawers with no visible crossbar, the cambered legs decorated with bronze sabots, stamped M.CRIAERD on the right rear upright, stamped N.B on the two rear uprights; restorations. H. 84 cm (33 in.) l. 145 cm (57 in.) P. 65 cm (25 ½ in.) Mathieu Criaerd, master in 1738 Nicolas Bernard, Master in 1742 The hallmark with the crowned C was applied to bronze works between March 1745 and February 1749. Provenance: Christie's Monaco sale, 20 June 1994, lot 329. Comparative bibliography: P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Les Editions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2008, p. 250, fig. A. D. Meyer, Le Mobilier de Versailles, Éditions Faton, Dijon, 2002, p. 61. A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Chêne, 1989, p. 224, fig. 223. A Louis XV gilt-bronze mounted and kingwood commode, stamped by Mathieau Criaerd and by Nicolas Bernard This chest of drawers is an elegant example of the work of the Flemish-born cabinetmaker Mathieu Criaerd, who supplied the Garde-Meuble royal in the 1740s, working with the merchant-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hébert, as well as with the Crown cabinetmakers Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus and Gilles Joubert, who commissioned him to make pieces they could not deliver. In 1741, Gaudreaus delivered a corner cabinet made by Criaerd for the new flats on the first floor of the Château de Choisy (see D. Alcouffe, Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus, Ébéniste de Louis XV, Éditions Faton, p. 417, n. 1234). The latter (see fig. 1) has a delicate diamond-point marquetry similar to that on our chest of drawers. Both the structure, with its characteristic geometric diamond-point marquetry on all sides, and the arrangement of the ormolu ornaments are characteristic of Criaerd's work and share similarities with a number of pieces stamped or attributed to him, such as : * The commode delivered in 1748 for the interior cabinet of the Dauphin at Versailles (cfr. fig. 2) and illustrated in D. Meyer, Le Mobilier de Versailles, Éditions Faton, Dijon, 2002, p. 61; * An unstamped commode sold at Christie's Monaco on 13 December 1998, lot 369 (see fig. 2); * The stamped example sold at Christie's London on 30 September 2014, lot 31 (see fig. 3); * A stamped chest of drawers sold at Sotheby's Monaco on 23 June 1985, lot 814 (see fig. 4). Finally, we should also point out that the ornamental composition of the bronze cartouche on the front, with its strongly curved "M" design extending right up to the apron, as well as the shells stretched out in a brace or "C" shape, cut out and associated with a naturalistic element serving as a pull handle, can also be found on the famous chest of drawers in Martin varnish and silvered bronze from Madame de Mailly's bedroom at the Château de Choisy (cf. fig. 5), now in the Musée du Louvre (INV. OA 11292). *Information for buyers: The auction is exclusive of VAT. VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the auction. This VAT is recoverable for French professionals. It is refundable for a buyer from outside the EU on presentation of proof of export from the EU or for a professional buyer with an intra-Community VAT number and a document proving delivery in the Member State. For a buyer leaving the EU, a CITES re-export certificate may be required, at the expense of the future buyer. Restrictions may apply depending on the country of destination. *Information to the buyers : The hammer price and premium will be VAT excluded. 5.5% VAT will be added to the hammer price and premium. Upon request, this VAT can be refunded to the purchaser on presentation of written proof of exportation outside EU, or to the EU purchaser who will submit his intracommunity VAT number and a proof of shipment to an EU country. For an exit from the EU, a CITES re-export certificate will be necessary, at the buyer's expense. Restrictions can apply depending on the country of destination.