Estimate

15.000 - 20.000

Session 2

15 October 2025

Hammer Price

Description

Veneered in flame mahogany, with ormolu mounts and elements veneered in burr amboyna and maple

Two-body structure, comprising an upper section with a drawer decorated at the centre with an ormolu mount of scrolls and palmettes, and a fall-front mounted with a pair of applied cornucopiae, the shafts with helical twist veneered in burr thuya and maple, united at the centre by an ormolu bow-tie clasp, terminating in acanthus leaves and surmounted by ormolu finials modelled as baskets of fruit and flowers

Interior of the upper section with a writing surface lined in green leather with gilt-tooled border, eight small drawers (six with small ormolu handles), and a central niche flanked by classical columns, the interior top decorated with marquetry forming a radiating fan pattern

Lower section with two doors and three drawers to the interior, each with two ormolu handles in the form of laurel wreaths tied with a bow

Top in white marble

France, circa 1800

(minor losses and signs of use; localised restorations to veneer)

147x99x43 cm

Additional Information

JACOB FRÈRES

Paris, active 1796–1803

The firm established by the brothers Georges II Jacob (1768–1803) and François-Honoré-Georges Jacob (1770–1841), sons of the celebrated ébéniste Georges Jacob (1739–1814), a central figure of French Neoclassicism during the reign of Louis XVI and the Directoire, produced pieces in a rigorous Neoclassical idiom, characterised by architectonic forms of refined design, surfaces of exceptional regularity, and execution of the highest quality.

The refinement of execution in pieces produced by Jacob Frères is equally evident in the ormolu mounts — in many cases commissioned from prestigious bronziers such as Thomire —, distinguished by finely chased detail and crisp profiles, with a decorative repertoire of palmettes, acanthus, rosettes, swags, and pearl friezes.

Among the most characteristic motifs are cornucopiae, quivers with bundles of arrows, fruit finials, lyres, swans, classical trophies, and scrolls.

The quality of the cabinetwork, with rigorously matched mahogany veneers, clean joinery, and a high polish, is in itself a decisive indicator in attributions to this workshop of reference.