Exceptional commode tombeau

Exceptional commode tombeau inlaid with burr ash, burr walnut, wire walnut, cherry, hornbeam or acacia. The commode rests on four small feet trimmed with gilded bronzes imitating clogs. The front legs are surmounted by flat, curved uprights inlaid with foliage, diamond motifs and frames. The chest opens on the front with five drawers in three rows. The central drawer allows the side drawers to be locked with latches. The drawers are decorated with geometric, foliage and floral motifs. The front and sides are curved, with curves and counter-curves, and are highlighted by aprons inlaid with acanthus leaves and fleur-de-lys on each side. The top of the chest of drawers is made of wood and features a rich inlaid decoration. At the center of the composition is an impressive bouquet of various flowers, including lily of the valley, inlaid with ivory or bone. It is framed by ribbons and acanthus leaves on which two birds sit. The four corners of the tray are also adorned with bunches of flowers tied with ribbons. The rest of the top features geometric motifs, frames and foliage.
The chest of drawers is adorned with gilded and chased bronzes on the sabots, on the pull handles decorated with valets and lingotière, and on the lock escutcheons decorated with stylized marine animals.
Almost certainly Dutch work
Late Regence period
Restoration
H. 82 x W. 130 x D. 72 cm

This chest of drawers is impressive in its size, form and decoration. The top is a veritable tableau, with geometric shapes, foliage, bouquets of flowers and birds in perfect orchestration. We can feel the cabinetmaker playing with the different types of wood, making the most of their aesthetic and textural characteristics, as we can see in the use of the magnifying glass. The latter, used as a background, both enhances the complexity of the composition and blends in with the rest of the decor, as if it had been thought out and worked like the rest of the marquetry (whereas it is a natural design). Our eyes become lost and amused by the charming details, such as the compositions of the four bouquets with their different corners, and we are immediately drawn to the bird holding a small white flower in its beak.
The shape of the chest of drawers is also noteworthy, firstly for its extraordinary depth (72 cm) and, above all, for the interplay of curves and counter-curves that alternate between the drawers, the uprights and even the sides. It's a real technical feat. The chest of drawers is never seen as heavy, but as an essential piece of furniture. Every detail has been thought through, from the fluting that separates the drawers and adds lightness, to the small jacks chosen for the drawer pulls, not forgetting the amusing clogs on the legs. This is a high-quality chest of drawers that can be seen just by opening the top three drawers, where the center drawer locks, allowing the other two drawers to be closed at the same time.