An Exceptional Matched Pair of Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Louis XVI Style Parquetry Commodes/Night Stands By Maison Millet
Item # CC1525
$55,000
Theodore Millet after Jean-Francois Leleu
The rectangular Rouge Royal marble tops above a single drawer with a scrolling acanthus frieze, two further deep drawers inlaid with a lozenge-shaped panel and applied with finely-cast scrolling acanthus handles, standing on acanthus-headed tapering fluted legs and capped feet.
One signed Millet A Paris to the front bronze mount, one lockplate has been removed to reveal Duvivier/ 76. Fg. St. Antoine/ Paris.
Maison Millet was established by Théodore Millet in 1853, and operated until 1902 from premises at 11, Rue Jacques-Coeur, Paris before relocating to 23, Boulevard Beaumarchais. Maison Millet was a highly regarded furniture firm that was described as producing ‘meuble et bronze d’art, genre ancien et moderne.’ The company won several awards in the series of exhibitions in London and Paris, such as the gold Medal in the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, a Grand Prix in 1900 and three further diplomes d’honneur and four médailles d’or for the furniture they produced. The firm specialized in the Louis XV and XVI styles though they were acclaimed by their contemporaries for working in their own modern style. In March 1902, the firm was authorized by the Palais de Versailles to replicate Marie-Antoinette’s celebrated Grand cabinet à bijoux. An auction was held in 1906 clearing the remaining stock and the firm finally ceased trading in 1918. Maison Millet was an active client of François Linke.
Jean-François Leleu was one of the favoured assistants in the workshop of the great ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763). After the early death of his master, he hoped to be entrusted with the running of the workshop, but was superseded by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), another of Oeben’s assistants. Riesener married Oeben’s widow and went on to become the court ébéniste of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. Leleu left the workshop, became maître-ébéniste in 1764 and set up on his own. He attracted a grand and fastidious clientele, notably the Duc d’Uzés, Baron d’Ivry, and Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully.
Details:
Height – 35 inches / 89cm
Width – 34.5 inches / 88cm
Depth – 21.5 inches / 55cm
