Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
Rare and precious system lectern in solid mahogany.
The very beautiful tripod base is finished with simulated legs that support a fluted column-shaped shaft in which the rack is hidden.
The latter holds the precious speckled mahogany top which is adjustable in height and tiltable for use as a writing table or a lectern.
A third development allows the base of the lectern to be unlocked, which tilts the top vertically in order to store the piece of furniture against a wall.
Two small removable gilded bronze torches are fixed under the work surface; they are adjustable and tiltable thanks to forged steel rods.
Perfect condition.
High quality wood and finish, with mercury-gilded parts, rods and a steel rack.
The platform that holds the top is stamped "A.WEISWEILER".
Parisian work from the Louis XVI period around 1780-1785 by the cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler and probably for an order from the merchant haberdashery Dominique Daguerre.
Dimensions:
Height: 71 cm in the pedestal table position, Maximum height: 136 in the deployed position with inclined lectern.
Adjustable height rack on 38 cm
Top: Depth: 35.5 cm; Width: 47 cm
Provenance:
Important private collection Paris.
Our opinion:
The piece of furniture that we present is characteristic of the best manner of Adam Weisweiler.
The German cabinetmaker is distinguished by the choice of a wood of exceptional quality, with a mahogany with a very tight grain that is even speckled on the top; he demonstrates great rigor in the assemblies which are millimeter.
Like a mechanic, he demonstrated the full extent of his ingenuity by setting up simple and solid systems that he studied during his apprenticeship with his master David Roetgen.
Such a piece of furniture, which requires the participation of an ironworker and a bronze worker, cannot be conceived without the participation of a merchant-mercer and it is most certainly to Dominique Daguerre that we owe its commercialization.
The latter, who was one of the great merchants of Paris, particularly liked Weisweiler's productions and entrusted him with all sorts of materials (lacquer, porcelain, bronze, sheet metal, etc.) in order to embellish his furniture.
This quality and sobriety correspond perfectly to this fashion of "Anglomania" which prevailed in the years 1780-1790 in Paris.
If the fashion was indeed English-inspired, Weisweiler and Daguerre would succeed in the feat of exporting their merchandise to the island and would even become the main suppliers of furniture to the British crown.
The table we are presenting perfectly illustrates this production; it has rare finishes, with a rack, rods and hinges in forged steel, mercury-gilded bronzes, which is particularly rare on this type of flying furniture.
It perfectly illustrates the work of the man who rivaled Riesener for the production of the most beautiful furniture of the time of Louis XVI.
Adam Weisweiler (1746-1820) was a German cabinetmaker who was received as a master in France in 1778. He settled in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine where he quickly acquired a great reputation. He specialized in small pieces of furniture and was known for his use of Sèvres or Wedgwood porcelain plates. His creations were highly prized by the aristocracy and the great courts of Europe. He became a supplier to the courts of France and England, the Prince of Wales, the Queen of Naples and Catherine II of Russia, through the merchant-mercer Daguerre. He became a pioneer in taste and decorative fashion thanks to a highly sought-after and finely executed production. To this end, he worked with the best craftsmen such as the bronze makers Gouthière and Thomire. As his career progressed, he produced more and more “normal” sized furniture, which was also very graceful and of high quality. He managed to maintain his position during and after the French Revolution, as he became a supplier to the court under the Empire. He stopped production in 1809, a year after the death of his wife and the internment of his son.
