A pair of Louis XVI ormolu mounted mahogany bookcases signed G.DESTER

A pair of Louis XVI all sided ormolu-mounted mahogany bookcases cabinets. Each signed G.DESTER and JME, with a marble top above a fall, opening to reveal a fitted interior with three drawers and an inset leather writing surface, above three white marble shelves.
Godefroy Dester master in 1774
Paris by 1780

Based in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine until the 1790s, Godefroy Dester ran a notable and prosperous workshop. The many pieces of furniture signed by him attest to his flourishing activity, the success of which was justified by his taste and his talent. In addition to the more conventional marquetry furniture, Dester’s oeuvre also comprised a small number of beautifully mahogany veneered commodes, secrétaires, cartonniers, and bookcases such as our pair, which demonstrate the particular care he took in choosing the most exotic veneers. The use of veneers such as flamed, plum-pudding or other lustrous types of mahogany, set against simple yet finely-chased gilt bronze mounts, has something in common with the production of Adam Weisweiler or Guillaume Beneman.
He supplied an important pair of commodes with Sèvres porcelain to the Comte d’Artois bedroom , at the Palais du Temple, and the Prince Demidoff's collections at San Donato included a small glazed bookcase signed Dester that came from Voltaire's bedroom at the Chateau de Villette.