Attributed to Claude-Charles Saunier (French 1735-1807) Louis XVI Mahogany and Gilt-Bronze Mounted Commode, Circa 1785
Rectangular tan-colored marble or granite top above two frieze drawers and two long drawers finely mounted with gilt-bronze inlay, including diamond-patterned ornament, rosette and beaded mounts, and fluted corner stiles; raised on tapered legs ending in gilt-bronze sabots. The reverse bearing a chalk inscription “A D Room.” A refined example of late 18th-century Parisian cabinetry, consistent with the elegant neoclassical forms, mahogany veneers, and high-quality ormolu mounts associated with Saunier’s workshop and with furniture produced for leading marchands-merciers such as Dominique Daguerre
Height 34 inches (86.5 cm.), width 45 inches (114.5 cm.), depth 22 inches (56 cm.)
Provenance:
Property from a Private Collection Designed by Cullman & Kravis, Inc.
Sotheby’s, New York, Property from the Collection of Anthony (Tony) Ingrao,New York interior designer and founder of Ingrao Inc., Sale 8240, October 20, 2006, Lot 117 ($114,000) receipt available
Almost certainly acquired by John Alexander, 4th Marquess of Bath (1831–1896) for Longleat, Wiltshire; thence by descent until sold Christie’s, London, June 13, 2002, Lot 391 (£71,700).
Literature:
Recorded in the Longleat inventories as follows:
– 1869 Inventory, Dowager’s Sitting Room: “A Louis XVI mahogany commode with 4 drawers mounted with ormolu and white marble slab.”
– 1896 Heirloom Inventory, Dowager’s Rooms: “A 3 ft. 9 in. mahogany Empire commode chest of two long and two short drawers with column corners, gilt ormolu mounts and white marble top.”
Catalogue Note:
The commode formed part of a larger suite of Louis XVI furniture at Longleat, including a console desserte and pairs of encoignures, comparable works by Claude-Charles Saunier were supplied to major British collections, notably the Spencer family at Althorp circa 1790, through the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre, Saunier’s production is characterized by classical silhouettes, high-quality mahogany, and refined gilt-bronze mounts—features present in the current example, suggesting it originated as a specific commission for an important client
Estimate: $15000 - $25000
