Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
Beautiful little in-between chest of drawers in amaranth veneer opening with two drawers in front. Curved model on the front and sides.
The intermediate crosspieces are darkened with large brass grooves.
Beautiful ornamentation in gilded bronze, including drooping handles, keyholes with old men's masks, falls, hoof feet, lamp base with Ceres mask.
Frame in resinous wood, interior of the drawers in elm.
Original top in Belgian red marble.
Stamped "E. Doirat"* on the right front pillar.
Perfect state of conservation.
Work by Étienne Doirat, Paris Regence period, circa 1720.
Dimensions:
Width: 94cm; depth: 49cm; height: 82cm.
Our opinion :
The chest of drawers that we are presenting features a precious "wine" ceremonial dress, and a pure line that is characteristic of the productions of one of the greatest cabinetmakers of the Regency period, Etienne Doirat. If at first glance it may seem very sober, it is nonetheless a luxury model, with precious wood veneer, brass fluting, and rich bronze ornamentation. Its small size and perfect condition origin make it a fairly rare model on the market.
Etienne Doirat (1675-1732)
Coming from a family of craftsmen - potters, carpenters - established since the first years of the 17th century in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Etienne Doirat is the son of the mason Joseph Doirat and Michelle Ferlu, sister of Pierre-Isaac Ferlu, master dealer-cabinetmaker. His younger brother Pierre-Michel will follow the path of master cabinetmaker like him.
*Born in 1675 and died in 1732 in Paris, it was in the early years of the 18th century that Etienne Doirat received his master's degree. He worked all his life on rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine for a wealthy French and foreign clientele.
Often of a sublime character, his furniture mainly belongs to the Regence style. Chests of drawers make up the bulk of his production. An inventory drawn up on July 14, 1732 mentions a large number of them, "in the tomb" or "in the Regency", but also notes a few large bookcases, cupboards, secretaries, regulators and various models of gaming or parlor tables.
This furniture is frequently made of amaranth or kingwood, veneered with leaves or inlaid with grids. Doirat makes extensive use of high-quality bronzes – made by foundry and engraver collaborators – where traditional elements such as the mascarons from the time of Louis XIV correspond to the busts of women or Regency “spanishettes” or to various motifs in a typically Rocaille style. He sometimes adorns the front of his chests of drawers without crosspieces with a large bronze cartouche that his successors later largely take over. In this field, Doirat proves to be one of the great creators of decorative formulas and techniques – glories of Parisian cabinetmaking under the reign of Louis XV.
