Provence fine commode in walnut, Pierre Pillot in Nîmes around 1775

Chest of drawers in solid walnut opening with two drawers in front.
Curved model in plan and elevation, on all sides.
The chest of drawers as a whole features a rich and fine carving, with two Greek reserves adorned with garlands of laurel leaves separated by beaded medallions framed by olive branches for the drawers, a rich crosspiece in "openwork lace" draperies, vine leaves and an antique cassolette.
The front uprights with rising acanthus leaves and falling olive branches.
The double-paneled sides, with an oval medallion reserve, surmounted by a crescent molding of the ones and below the crosspieces finely carved and perforated with intersecting olive branches.
The chest of drawers is topped with its thick walnut top and rests on four very pronounced snail legs.

Finely perforated bronze pull handles and keyholes.

Very good state of preservation, good quality walnut.

Nîmes work attributable to Pierre Pillot, transition from the Louis XV and Louis XVI periods around 1775-1780.

Dimensions:

Width: 120cm; Depth: 60cm; Height: 90cm

Two very similar chests of drawers, including one stamped "PILLOT" formerly in our collection. (Pictures)

Our opinion :

With its "antique" decorative repertoire and its lace crosspiece, the chest of drawers that we present is attributable to the carpenter Pierre Pillot.
From the seraglio of Parisian carpenters, he apprenticed with Mathieu Bauve before settling around 1770 in Nîmes near the market square, where he worked until 1822.
Obtaining a great reputation very quickly, he produced most of the large joinery sets for the châteaux of Provence.
If the beds, sofas, armchairs, chairs and other wall consoles come from his workshop, he also offers furniture, such as wardrobes and chests of drawers, freeing himself from the Parisian law on corporations which reserves this type of manufacture to cabinetmakers.
We know of a few chests of drawers by his hand, two of which passed through our gallery in the past.
Inspired by the Roman monuments of the Gardoise city, he offers us here a perfectly balanced design, combining the fluidity of the lines still Louis XV with the finesse of a decoration of the purest neoclassical style.
This subtle mixture allows him to obtain on the same piece of furniture all the ingredients dear to the Provençal people, that is to say the opulence of the form with preserved curves as well as the presence of attributes symbolizing Provence and love.
Our chest of drawers, which corresponds to the very first productions of Pierre Pillot, represents in our eyes the quintessence of his work and marks the beginning of a fashion that will last until the middle of the 20th century.