Offered by Franck Baptiste Provence
Rare and precious little music table in dappled padauk wood veneer * inlaid with lemon tree fillets.
The slightly curved crosspieces and the four arched legs are finely outlined with lemon tree fillets.
The front side reveals a large drawer.
The top features a rack-and-pinion lectern adorned with gilded red leather with small irons, which allows the reading of scores; on each side two side panels revealing compartments.
The internal and external faces of the compartments finely inlaid with a geometric decoration centered with a Maltese cross *, in lemon tree inlay.
High quality of wood offering different tones depending on the light.
Frame in softwood, bottom of the drawer in walnut.
Beautiful state of conservation, varnished with a buffer by our workshop.
Port work, La Rochelle Louis XV period.
Dimensions:
Height: 70 cm; Width: 71 cm; Depth: 48 cm
* Wood of Padouk, of its Latin name “Pterocarpus soyauxii”, family: FABACEAE.
The padauk is a large tree found in the dense humid forests of tropical and equatorial Africa, reaching 50 m in height and 1.5 m in diameter.
The bole is cylindrical, usually straight, and has thin buttresses that can reach up to 5 m in height. The bark is gray, thin and scaly. Padauk wood is more or less bright red, with a distinct sapwood of whitish color.
The term "dappled" is originally used for a "mottled" sky, that is to say strewn with clouds and in cabinetry for a wood studded with lighter or darker stains, giving it a cloudy effect.
* The Maltese cross is a classic Charentais decorative motif, which often appears on the frame of wardrobes, the flaps of scriban desks or the panels of sideboards….
Its origin certainly comes from the commandery of the Templars of La Rochelle which was one of the most important in France.
If the cross can be scoured in the mass as is the case for the XVII sideboards with diamond points, the 18th century saw the birth of an additional refinement, with inlays of lemon or blackened pear.
Our opinion :
With its dappled dress and Maltese crosses, the table we present is a very fine example of Port Rochelais furniture.
Inspired by Parisian creations, it shows us the high level of qualification achieved by cabinetmakers on the Atlantic coast in the 18th century, who, under the impetus of a wealthy clientele eager for pleasure, will compete in ingenuity.
Besides its aesthetic qualities, it is important to emphasize the rarity of the model, it is not a common table, like a dressing table or a writing table, but a score table, probably used for singing or playing music. the music.
