French Kingwood Writing Cabinet with Vernis Martin Panels & Ormolu Mounts - 19th Century

A exceptionally fine and rare French bonheur du jour in kingwood with Vernis Martin painted panels, ormolu mounts throughout, and birdseye maple interior linings. A piece of this decorative quality and completeness is seldom encountered - the combination of superb kingwood veneers, richly painted Vernis Martin panels, and well-cast ormolu mounts places this firmly in the upper tier of nineteenth-century French cabinet-making.

The upper superstructure is surmounted by a pierced gilt brass gallery above, with ormolu foliate rosette mounts applied to the upper corners. The central arched cupboard door is painted in the Vernis Martin manner - a pastoral scene depicting a young lady with her faithful dog beneath a tree, executed on the characteristic warm golden ground associated with the finest examples of this technique. The aged craquelure to the painted surface is consistent with genuine age and is a mark of authenticity rather than a detraction. The door opens to reveal a beautifully lined interior in birdseye maple with two adjustable shelves. Flanking the central cupboard, two small side drawers with hand-painted floral panels on a gold ground and original gilt brass knob handles.

The lower writing section features a pull-out secretaire drawer lined in blue baize - a generous and practical writing surface. The frieze drawer to the front is painted with a charming scene of putti flanking a central ormolu cartouche mount, with further painted side panels. Substantial scrolled ormolu mounts are applied to the corners of the base, and the piece stands on slender cabriole legs terminating in well-cast ormolu sabots.

Throughout, the kingwood veneers are quarter-cut and laid in a herringbone pattern, producing the characteristic warm, figuring typical of the finest Second Empire and Napoleon III period pieces. The ormolu is of good weight and quality, consistent with Parisian workshop production of the period.

Period & Attribution

French, 19th century - Napoleon III period, circa 1860–1880. In the Louis XVI taste. The Vernis Martin technique - a lacquer-painting process developed in eighteenth-century France by the Martin brothers and widely revived during the Second Empire - is here applied with considerable skill and artistic ambition.

Dimensions

Height 157cm | Width 80cm | Depth 45cm