Commode d’époque Transition attribuée à Jean-François Hache

Transitional period chest of drawers opening with two drawers. It rests on four curved feet called "pastilles". It has a walnut veneer and maple and amaranth fillets. The chest of drawers is ornamented with chased and varnished bronze, and is fitted with lock escutcheons and pull handles. Its decoration is formed by the play on geometric forms. The crosspieces of the fronts as well as the feet have false flutes.
The chest of drawers is topped by a marble top in Spanish violet brocatelle.
Attributed to the cabinetmaker Jean-François Hache
Circa 1765
Use Restoration, marble restored
H. 85 x W.140 x D. 68 cm

The chest of drawers we are presenting is remarkable for its curved shape and the geometrical patterns that cover it. It opens on the front with two drawers and has a particularly original decoration on both sides with two superimposed ovals in rectangular reserves. This chest of drawers presents an elegant assembly of various woods. The drawer frames are made of walnut and the rails are made of acacia. In addition, the centre of the cartouches is made of tobacco or tulipwood, and the Greek-style fillets are made of tobacco wood and light wood.
The top is made of Spanish violet brocatelle, which was regularly used in 17th and 18th century furniture. This marble with its purple and yellow tones is in perfect harmony with the walnut veneer on the whole chest of drawers.

This chest of drawers rests on four curved legs ending in an elegant scroll. These legs are called "pastilles" and were invented around 1730-1740 by Pierre Hache in his father's workshop. They became a characteristic of the Hache family, who simplified the scroll foot.

Jean-François Hache (1730-1796), the fourth son of twelve children, began working in his father's workshop, Pierre Hache (1705-1776), and set up his own business around 1754. Here he shows his ability to vary his decorations through simple geometrical motifs that stand out thanks to the play on the effects obtained by the walnut veneer. To admire other variations of such a geometrical decoration it is possible to refer to the chests of drawers presented by P. Et F. Rouge in "Le génie des HACHE". This chest of drawers is therefore a unique example because of the geometric variations and associations it offers, while being characteristic of the Hache dynasty, notably because of the use of "pastille" legs and walnut, a local wood much appreciated by Jean-François Hache. Moreover, as Pierre Kjellberg points out in his book "Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle", many chests of drawers came out of the Hache workshops, including Transitional furniture. The author tells us that these Transitional chests of drawers are characterised by the geometrical figures that can be found on our chest of drawers.