Estimate

10.000 - 15.000

Session 1

24 June 2020

Hammer Price

Description

Rosewood, violet wood and other timbers
Floral boxwood marquetry
Yellow metal hardware and marble top
Two short and two long drawers
Stamped "J.Birckle" for Jacques Bircklé (master from the 30th July 1764) and marked JME (Jurande des Maîtres Ébénistes)
France, 18th century
(signs of wear, evidence of woodworm)

89x58x126 cm

Category

Furniture

Additional Information

Eighteenth century France was the undisputed European capital of fashion, the French taste predominating in many Royal courts, from the Romanov in Russia to the Braganza in Portugal, who fulfilled all their luxury needs from the best Paris workshops.
The cooperation of designers, craftsmen, cabinet makers and bronze founders, allied to the excellence of materials, techniques and tools, granted the perfect environment to attain a superb level of excellence particularly in the production of luxury furniture.
The commode we are bringing to sale displays the stamp for the “ébéniste” Jacques Bircklé (1734-1803), master from the 30th July 1764, and the mark JME (Jurande des Maîtres Ébénistes).
Bircklé’s work is characterized by the elegance of the Louis XV style allied to decorative elements inspired by the Neoclassical taste, characteristics that place him within a transitional style defined by mild decorative rather than structural changes, that precedes the Louis XVI period.
For the majority of his production Bircklé adopts simple, geometric decorative marquetry work, in light, albeit contrasting, shades. Decorative motifs follow the current taste of the period, depicting flower vases, classical urns and music trophies framed by classical details such as Greek key patterns.
It was his unassuming taste, when compared to other contemporary famous cabinet makers such as Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), that granted him, in the last years of the “Ancien Régime” (1785-1789), the position of Supplier to the Crown “Garde-Meuble”.
Furniture pieces by Jacques Bircklé can be seen in various Museum collections such as the V&A, the Musée Lambinet, the Musée Henri Barré or the Musée Cognan-Jay.
Literature:
Pierre Kjellberg, “Le mobilier Français du XVIIIème Siècle, Les Editions de l'Amateur, 2008, pág. 74-78