TRANSITIONAL PERIOD DRUM TABLE Stamped by Charles Topino In rosewood veneer, satinwood, stained wood and mother-of-pearl inlays, decorated on all sides with imaginary architectures, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, the top encircled by an openwork gallery, the front opening through a door revealing an interior fitted with a locker and two drawers, resting on three arched legs adorned with bronze hooves, stamped three times C. TOPINO and the maker's mark JME under the belt; restorations. TOPINO and stamped JME under the belt; restorations. H.72.5 cm (28 ½ in.) D.31.5 cm (12 ½ in.) Charles Topino, master in 1773 Provenance : Sotheby's New York sale, on 23 November 2009, lot 132 ; Acquired by the current owners during the sale. A Transitional gilt-bronze mounted, tulipwood, satinwood and marquetery table tambour, stamped by Charles Topino *Information for buyers: If you are leaving the EU, you may need to obtain a CITES re-export certificate, which is the responsibility of the future buyer. *Information to the buyers : For an exit from the EU, a CITES re-export certificate will be necessary, at the buyer's expense. With its elegant curves and fine marquetry, the tambour table presented here has all the hallmarks of the work of Charles Topino, master of the art in 1773. This renowned cabinetmaker made this type of light, mobile piece of furniture one of his specialities. The marquetry motifs of writing instruments, trophies and imaginary architectures that he designed in his workshop in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, like those on this tambour table, became emblematic, attracting him a prestigious clientele both in France and abroad. Topino not only produced complete works, but also supplied marquetry panels of this type to his fellow cabinet-makers (see A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 319). As a result, it was not uncommon for certain pieces to lack his stamp, leaving the merchant who acquired them free to affix his own.