LOUIS XIV STYLE FURNITURE, CIRCA 1860 Stamped by Mathieu Béfort, known as Béfort le Jeune In blackened pearwood veneer, brass inlay, chased and gilt bronze ornamentation, black marble top, the front decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Socrates and Aspasia, opening with two leaves and revealing an interior fitted with shelves, the legs spinning tops, stamped twice BEFORT JEUNE on the front below the gilt bronze gallery, some bronzes monogrammed BJ on the reverse; minor accidents. H. 132.5 cm (52 ¼ in.) l. 127.5 cm (50 ¼ in.) P. 48 cm (18 ¾ in.) Comparative bibliography: C. Payne, Paris, La Quintessence du Meuble au XIXe siècle, Éditions Monelle Hayot, 2018, p. 130-131. A Louis XIV style gilt-bronze mounted, ebonised pearwood and brass inlaid meuble a hauteur d'appui, stamped by Mathieu Befort, called Befort le Jeune, circa 1860 This impressive cabinet is a replica of the famous pair of bas d'armoires (in first and counterpart) designed around 1720 by André-Charles Boulle and illustrated in A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Chêne, 1989, p. 81. Originally designed as medal cabinets, their use changed during the 18th century and they were used as low bookcases to store books and other items. The bronze figures on the façade, representing Socrates and Aspasia, Pericles' mistress, probably derive from Michel Corneille's fresco on the ceiling of the Salon des Nobles in Versailles. This cabinet model was very popular throughout the 19th century, which explains why so many copies were created by the most talented cabinet-makers of the time, such as Jean-François Alix and Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener. Our copy is signed by Mathieu Befort (1813-1880), known as "Befort le Jeune", a member of a prominent family of cabinet-makers who worked in Paris between 1844 and 1880. Like his father and brother, Mathieu Befort was a talented cabinetmaker and marquetry maker; inspired in particular by the work of André-Charles Boulle, he specialised in high-quality marquetry of the same name. Among the cabinets comparable to ours, also signed by Befort and now listed, we should mention the following: * The brass marquetry on tortoiseshell from the former collection of Count Adam Wilhelm Joseph Knuth (Sotheby's London, 6 November 2014, lot 143, then Robert de Balkany, Christie's London, 23 March 2017, lot 170); * The pair from the former Al Thani collections at the Hôtel Lambert, sold at Sotheby's Paris, 13 October 2022, lot 524; * The pair sold at Sotheby's New York on 20 April 2007, lot 108. *Information for buyers: Lot from outside the EU: The hammer price is exclusive of VAT. VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the hammer price. This VAT is recoverable for French professionals. It is reimbursable for a buyer from outside the EU on presentation of proof of export from the EU or for a professional bidder providing proof of 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 : Lot from outside the EU : 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. *Please note that this piece of furniture is made of blackened pearwood veneer with brass inlays. *Please note that this meuble a hauteur d'appui is made of ebonised pearwood and brass inlays.